


Little Do you Know

by TheNerdiestofAlys



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Adora Needs Therapy (She-Ra), Adora/Catra in Love (She-Ra), Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Best Friend Squad (She-Ra), Catra (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Catra Goes to Therapy (She-Ra), Chronic Pain, Drunk Adora (She-Ra), F/F, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Healthy Relationships, Human Catra (She-Ra), Hurt Adora (She-Ra), Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian Adora (She-Ra), Lesbian Catra (She-Ra), Mental Health Issues, Minor Character Death, adopted catra, background glimbow - Freeform, background scorfuma, catra left adora, catradora, chronic pain au, pansexual glimmer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:08:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26098381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNerdiestofAlys/pseuds/TheNerdiestofAlys
Summary: Some of this you've heard before; Adora and Catra grow up in the same foster home under Shadow Weaver, they get separated and meet back up in college. They fall in love.What's different? In middle school Catra gets adopted. Adora stays under Shadow Weaver's care.Adora has suffered an accident and has chronic pain she deals with from her accident.I wanted to do the college AU where Catra has gone through her teenage years supported in a loving family and Adora never knew anything but abuse. How will their pasts shared and otherwise affect how they fall in love today? Add in their volatile natures that ignite when around each other and Adora's struggle with chronic pain issues and healing from mental abuse and this is what you get.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 236
Kudos: 755





	1. The Sighting

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta'd all mistakes are my own. I don't own She-Ra the characters just live rent free in my head and have consumed my life

_ An ice cold hand grips her shoulder. She cannot move but tears race down her face and her breath is stolen from her body. One hand grips the railing of the front porch where she stands, upper body leaning forward. Across the lawn a wild mane of hair is led to a white Corolla.  _

_ “Catra!” She calls, the head doesn’t turn but throws in her backpack and slumps into the car. Adora hears the cracks make their way through her heart. _

_ “This is for your own good Adora.” And with a rough pull she’s sucked back into the house. Later there will be bruises and bleeding nails from gripping the wood. Now is only the sight of a wild haired girl turning away before a door slams on her life.  _

Adora wakes with a gasp of air that extends into a low hiss of pain. Her nightmare hadn’t fully faded and as she lifted her shirt she almost expected to see the five perfect indentations of her former guardian. Jagged scars met her instead. She laid back down flat with another low hiss. The pain in her hips always brought back that nightmare, she shook her head ridding herself of the images still trying to play behind her eyelids. Her back and legs were drenched in sweat, the burning in her hips intensifying now that she was conscious enough to acknowledge it. Adora focuses on the alarm clock’s projection of the time on her ceiling. 3:48 AM. She sighs. It’s the first day of Sophomore year at Brightmoon University. Adora had really hoped it was going to be a Good Day. Sighing aloud she reaches a hand to where her forearm crutches lean against her headboard. She counts her breaths, in for three out for three and uses her arms to push her into an upright position. She bites her lip to stop from making a groan. Glimmer may sleep like the dead but she shares a wall with Bow’s room and knows he’s a light sleeper. Once she’s up she lets the pain in her hips radiate up her back and down her legs before calming at her stillness. She puts her arms through the clasps of the forearm crutches and heaves herself to standing. Her vision almost whites out and a high ringing pierces her ears. 

Damn, she thinks, it’s going to be a really shit first day. Slowly and with the aid of her crutches she hobbles to the door to her room, barely visible. She pushes it open and slowly makes her way into their townhouse kitchen. The dorm they live in is townhouse style. Not usually available to lowly sophomores but Glimmer’s mom is the Dean of Students and had pulled a few strings for her daughter and her friends. The townhouse suits were three single bedrooms, a shared bathroom and a shared living room/kitchenette. In the corner of the kitchenette was Adora’s stool. She carefully moves it in front of the keurig and gets her favorite mug down. She then grabs her Hazelnut creamer from the fridge and sits propped on the stool as she waits for her coffee to brew. The early morning is silent in their building. The only light coming in from the street lamp in the student parking lot and from under their door to the hallway. It’s not much but enough for Adora to navigate by. The keurig spits out the last few drops of black dark roast coffee and Adora pours in the hazelnut creamer until the coffee is a warm caramel color. 

She moves with one crutch to set her mug on the side table by the couch stuffed against the wall. She reaches grabbing her other crutch before letting her body ease onto the red upholstered couch. Glimmer’s sparkly tie dye blanket is on the back of the couch and Adora pulls it over her as she tries to get comfortable. She knows when Bow gets up at 5:30am for his run he’ll try to bully her into taking her pain meds but she wants to put it off as long as she can. They make her head so floaty. And she wants to be able to at least go to her classes today. She watches the sky start to lighten almost imperceptibly outside their sliding glass door to the parking lot from her perch on the couch as she sips her coffee. 

Sophomore year at Brightmoon University is supposed to be the hardest, a huge leap from having the faculty hand hold the freshmen to being dunked into adulthood responsibility. She knows Bow has been stressing the last two weeks. Adora would usually be right next to him, planning out her schedule and color coding midterms and final project due dates as soon as they got their syllabi from the online portal but this year she couldn’t throw her head into it. Maybe it was a result of the injury, pain management taking up too much space to worry about anything else. Or maybe it was the recurrence of these dreams. Of her. She hadn’t dreamt about her in years. Until after the accident. 

Adora’s thoughts continue to circle about as the sun rises and faintly she hears Bow’s alarm go off in his room. She watches over her shoulder as he stumbles out of his room and stretches. 

“Morning Bow.” She mumbles startling him into a jump and ninja slice through the air. She raises a brow. 

“Moons Above Adora! You scared me.” He clutches his chest and takes a few exaggerated breaths. 

“Sorry.” Adora grimaces, “didn’t mean to scare you.” Bow smiles sleepily.

“No worries Adora. How long have you been awake anyway?” Bow asks, coming around into the kitchen. He opens the fridge and grabs a water bottle. Adora hums a noncommittal answer. Bow turns around. 

“Are your hips bothering you?” He asks softly, opening the water bottle and taking a swig. Adora averts her eyes. She’s terrible at lying. Bow sighs after taking his drink. 

“I’m not going to be able to convince you to take your pain meds am I?” He says crossing his arms and leaning on her kitchen stool. 

“It’s the first day Bow. I don’t want to be floaty and out of it.” Bow’s brows furrow.

“Alright I’ll give you that. But you should take some tonight so you get actual sleep. And I’m microwaving you a heating pad to put on until Glimmer gets up.” He stands and opens a cabinet pulling out one of her plush heating pads. Adora chuckles. 

“You know she is going to sleep through her alarm and you’ll have to drag her up after you work out right?” Bow blows a raspberry in the air and his shoulders droop.

“Yeah you’re right.” He says with a laugh. The microwave beeps and he tosses the heat pack back and forth between his hands before handing it to Adora. Adora places the pack across her hips under the blanket. 

“You good?” Bow asks, studying her.

“Yes mother hen, now go! I don’t want you psychoanalyzing me, it’s only the first day of school!” Bow puts his hands up in surrender and chuckles. 

“Alright alright. I’ll be back.” He says over his shoulder as he goes out the sliding glass doors and starts his run. Adora shakes her head at him as the heat soaks into her muscles and the bones of her hips. She hates to admit it feels good. And blames the fact she didn’t think of it earlier on the hour and the lack of caffeine in her system. She’s finished her mug but is now way too comfy to get up and irritate her hips again. She doesn’t remember falling asleep. 

The next thing she knows is whisper yelling between her two roommates. Bow must have finished his run and woken Glimmer. 

“You guys are bad at whispering!” She yells out without opening her eyes from her spot on the couch. It’s silent for a few seconds before from closer she hears Glimmer exclaim.

“Good morning Adora!” Adora opens her eyes.

“You’re chipper for…” 

“Seven AM.” Bow supplies. And Adores eyebrows raise.

“And you’re surly for 7am.” Glimmer comments back sticking out her tongue before gulping down her mug of coffee. Adora looks to Bow who holds up two fingers to show Glimmer just finished mug number two of life sustaining black coffee and is therefore at human levels interaction. Adora sits up from where she slouched on the couch in her sleep. The heating pad has long gone cold and she winces as she adjusts herself. 

“What classes do you have today Adora?” Glimmer asks as she pours a bowl of cereal at the small table. 

“Mmm Creative Writing: Nonfiction and then Rhetoric and Composition today. Gen Eds tomorrow.” She replies. Glimmer nods. 

“Both in the morning?”

“Yeah about an hour break in between I’ll go chill at the library, get some bullet journaling down to schedule out the semester once I have any more details about projects and tests.” Their morning banter continued as Adora pulled herself up with her crutches and hobbles into the restroom to run a brush through her hair and brush her teeth. Glimmer hated early mornings but always took early classes. Something about proving a point to her mother. Bow had classes spread throughout the day and Archery practice. They all made plans to meet up for lunch in the dining hall and Glimmer lets them know her mom wants them to come over for dinner to her childhood home two miles from campus. Bow and Adora happily agree to a home cooked meal by Glimmer’s dad, Micah. 

Adora’s first class was one she had been looking forward to when she’d signed up for courses in March of last year but now found herself wondering if she should drop it as she makes her way from Dante Hall to the library to wait until her Rhetoric class. Her crutches create a bubble around her. As other students bumble and jostle each other walking across the green open space at the center of campus, an invisible circle surrounds Adora. It feels like a spotlight, as though every eye is unconsciously drawn to her by consciously not looking. Her crutches draw attention and social propriety pulls the eyes away, but the glances still linger, her own shoulder brushes and jostling invisible to the human eye. She shakes herself as she enters the library. She beelines to the elevator and heads up to the third floor. In the center of the library is an atrium and by sitting in one of the plush arm chairs surrounding it she can let her mind wander and watch others instead of being watched. Watching other’s interactions gives her ideas for her writing. Helping her busy mind focus where it might distract others. 

As she exits the elevator she makes a beeline to the soft purple upholstered armchair that became her favorite last year.She leans her crutches against the half wall around the atrium and lowers herself into the chair. She opens her calendar on her phone and sets an alarm for ten minutes before her next class to give her time to make her way to the classroom. She didn’t have the luxury anymore of losing track of time checking her phone and sprinting to class in less than three minutes. She sighs to herself, C’mon Adora self-pitying isn’t a good look on anyone. She pulls out her laptop and looks at her notes from her last class. 

They have been given a project to work on through the semester. They must write a piece from their own lives, something to tell that encompasses the theme of the school spirit for Brightmoon University this year: Metamorphosis. It’s a word that’s been worked into every banner and flyer across campus. She glances at her crutches and knows what everyone will expect her to write about. What everyone will say, how easy she has it picking something to write about. Her entire being rebels against the thought. She would not let the accident define her. That would be letting  _ her _ win. Adora’s pulled from her thoughts by her name being called from the direction of the staircase. 

“Adora! Hi!” A big Women’s Rugby player, Scorpia is waving as she jogs up the last few steps to the third floor. Adora smiles. Scorpia went to Adora’s high school, and though they hadn’t been especially close in high school they had become friends after being in the same First Year Experience Cohort last year. 

“Hey Scorpia!” Adora smiles and begins to stand up.

“Oh don’t worry about getting up!” She waves her prosthetic hands in front of her insisting Adora stay sitting. 

“Thanks, how was your summer?” Adora asks as Scorpia leans her hip on the armchair opposite Adora’s chair. 

“Oh it was great! I went home and spent some time with my moms a lot. But then at the beginning of August I got a new roommate! And oh she’s a wildcat but we get along great.”

“That’s awesome! Does she go to Brightmoon?” Adora asks. 

“Yeah she just transferred. I am meeting her here actually. She did her freshman year at Fright Zone University but her family recently moved back to Etheria.”

“Back?” Adora asks.

“Yeah she lived in Etheria as a kid and was adopted out of foster care when she…” Scorpia kept talking but Adora couldn’t hear her. A high buzzing had taken over her senses as over by the staircase a familiar silhouette appeared. 

Her hair was cut shorter than Adora ever remembered it being, she wore ripped skinny jeans and a plaid flannel over a faded band tee. 

Adora’s breath catches in her throat.

Both girls freeze as heterochromatic eyes meet her own. 

A twinge of pain races like lightning from Adora’s hip down her leg.

Blue and gold eyes widened in surprise as she stopped at the top of the stairs herself. 

She was  _ beautiful _ .

Her eyes are warm as they take Adora in and she walks forward confidently. The buzzing comes to a crescendo in Adora’s head as she watches her childhood ghost step up beside Scorpia. 

“Hey Adora.”


	2. Invisible String

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra processes running into Adora after 8 years.

Catra huffs as she walks across Brightmoon’s campus and her phone rings in her pocket. She pulls it out and swipes to answer without even looking. 

“Moooom.” She groans. 

“What? a mother can’t ask her daughter how her first class went?” Netossa’s sass comes through the line. 

“You couldn’t last Year at FZU and no, you cannot now.” She deadpans. 

“We just are worried, being back in Etheria could bring up some bad stuff Catra.” Spinerella says and Catra rolls her eyes at being on speaker phone. She can picture her moms in the kitchen both worriedly looking at the phone surrounded by moving boxes and the leftover Chinese from dinner last night. 

“I’m fiiiine. Class was good. I’m meeting up with Scorpia, we are going to get coffee before our last classes this afternoon. I’ll see you both this weekend okay!” She ends the phone call before her moms can answer. She’s lived with Netossa and Spinerella since she was twelve years old. They’d adopted her and moved to Horde City. Far away from the rolling town of Etheria. And maybe her moms hadn’t been wrong about her being nervous to be back in Etheria but the house they bought was adorable and Spinnerella could work from home. Not to mention Catra could stay in student apartments off campus away from her moms and their well meaning interference in her life. She winced knowing Netossa would chew her out for her attitude later, but she shook it off. She'll apologize later, maybe. 

Catra’s brought out of her thoughts as she approaches the library. She checks her texts again and sees that Scorpia says she’s on the third floor. Catra walks in and passes the active service desk. She sees the elevator but with a huff decides to take the stairs. It’s only two flights. As she rounds the top of the last steps she looks up. She finds Scorpia easily, the tall girl with white blonde hair is hard to miss. She looks to see who she’s talking to and swears she develops arrhythmia right there. 

It’s Adora. Adora who she hasn’t seen or spoken to since she was 12. Adora who never left Etheria and now goes to Bright Moon University. Adora who is apparently friends with Scorpia. She swallows a lump in her throat. Adora notices her and her eyes widen and her face goes ashen. Catra smirks and walks over, making sure her pace is even. 

“Hey Adora.” She purrs. Scorpia turns when she speaks and wraps Catra in a lung crushing hug.

“Hey Wildcat! How was your first class! Oh this is my friend...Adora?” Adora looked like she was about to puke. Suddenly she shot up out of the chair. Her laptop clattered to the ground and she hissed halfway to standing and her knees buckled. 

“Adora!” Catra reached out catching her. Scorpia scooped two crutches she hadn’t noticed from beside Adora’s chair. 

“Oh geez, here Adora.” Shakily Adora grabs the crutches from Scorpia and pulls away from Catra. Catra’s hands hang between them for a moment before she hesitantly pulls them back to her sides. She watches Adora’s eyes fall to her bracelet before shaking herself. 

“I...I have to go.” She says her voice sounding like she’d swallowed gravel. She grabs her laptop and shoves it into her bag before moving as fast as she can towards the elevator. Catra hesitates but walks after her.

“Adora wait!” Adora doesn’t turn from the elevator doors but she doesn’t run either. Catra puts a hand on her shoulder and feels her tense up, she lets go. 

“I…” Catra starts, there’s so much to say. Catra hadn’t seen Adora in almost 8 years. She sees Adora start to tremble. She backs off. This was a mistake. Adora turns as the elevator doors open. 

“Get my number from Scorpia. I can’t...I just can’t right now. But later okay?” Catra watches a tear escape Adora’s eyes as she shuffles into the elevator and stabs the down button as fast as she can. Catra nods watching Adora struggle until the elevator doors close. 

Catra doesn’t know how long she stares at the elevator doors until Scorpia sets a hand on her shoulder. 

“You...okay there wildcat?” Scorpia says a bit unsure. Catra nods turning to face her roommate. 

“Yeah I’m alright.” Scorpia bites her lip and scratches the back of her head.

“So you know Adora?”

“I did.” Catra says before breaking into high pitched laughter. Her shoulders shake and she has to force herself to stop and take a breath. Tears burn at her eyes but she blinks them away.

“C’mon Scorpia I need caffeine if we are going to have this conversation.” Catra growls once she’s gotten her breathing under control. Catra turns on her heel and makes her way to the staircase. When she notices the buff girl hasn’t followed she tosses over her shoulder-

“Scorpia I don’t actually know where I am going.” Scorpia seems to shake herself and nods. 

“Oh right sorry coming!” Scorpia says following her. 

Scorpia leads Catra across the campus in the opposite direction of where the most of the students seemed to be meandering. Catra can feel Scorpia flit her eyes over to her, studying her face as they walk. She sees her fidget with her prosthetic, a sure sign she’s dying to say something. Catra appreciates her waiting until they get inside. As they walk Catra tries to process the last ten minutes, process running into Adora. 

The campus cafe is small, part of the original small campus before the university grew about 40 years back. Eclipse Coffee boasts the small slightly dilapidated sign on the glass doors. Scorpia holds the door open with a grand gesture and Catra smirks at her excitement. Scorpia shoos Catra to find a table, stating the coffee is her treat and she knows what her roomie likes by now. Catra just gives her attired smile and peels off to go to a table in the corner. 

She watches idly as Scorpia waits in line, how she blushes when the tan blonde haired girl takes her order. But she doesn’t really see it. Over and over in her head she sees Adora, Adora crying, Adora running away. Adora never ran away. That was Catra’s MO. 

_The door clicked shut. Nearly silent but to Catra it felt like it echoed off the walls. Ms. Weaver never slammed doors, never raised her voice. But she didn’t need to. Catra sat up where she was laying on her twin sized bed on one side of the room. She’s been drawing in her sketchbook. Adora was asleep on the bed across from her, exhausted from the two mile run she had been on this morning in the freezing rain._

_“Catra, how long has Adora been asleep?” Catra looked down at the floor._

_“An hour, but she set an alarm. She’ll be up soon.”_

_“Mmm. Catra, leave us.” Ms. Weaver turned to face Adora. Catra didn’t think twice as she got up and grabbed her sketchbook shuffling past Ms. Weaver. She hesitated at the door._

_“Out, Catra or you’ll sleep on the porch tonight.” It wasn’t an idle threat either. She’d slept on the rickety porch with a scratchy blanket last week. And that was when she was dry. She closed the door. But she couldn’t make herself leave. She waited. She heard the low voice and the startled gasp of Adora waking to Ms. Weaver over her sleeping form._

_“Catra?” Adora whispers._

_“ You don’t need her Adora. Come, it’s time for drills.” Catra clencher=s her fists and scurries down the hall and skips down the stairs before she can be spot snooping. She settles at the kitchen table just as Weaver one hand pulls Adora by the arm to the backyard. It’s still pouring. Weaver grabs a soccer ball from by the back door and throws it into the muddy yard._

_“ Wall Passes Adora. You missed too many passes in your last game.” Adora stands staring into the rain. Weaver had them enrolled in the community kids’ soccer league. They were nine. The pass Adora missed was wide made by a 7 year old and they won the game anyway. But Weaver didn’t care. Didn’t care that Catra had been fast enough to recover the pass and shoot a winning goal. Only that Adora had missed, that Adora wasn’t perfect. Catra kept her head down but she could feel Adora glance at her._

_“How long?” She asks._

_“Until I get you for dinner.” Adora nods and goes into the rain again. Weaver delays dinner by two hours._

Scorpia takes a seat pulling Catra from her memory. Catra looks down at the mug of hot coffee and takes a sip. It’s a Cinnamon Vanilla Latte, her favorite.

“Thanks Scorpia.” She mutters not making eye contact. 

“Of course. No worries.” Scorpia bites her lip and tabs the table with her prosthetic. Catra sighs.

“Go ahead and ask Scorpia.” She says, resigned. Scorpia blushes and clears her throat.

“So how do you know Adora?” She asks. Catra blows out a breath watching her bangs flutter with the force of it and chuckles a bit darkly. 

“We uh, grew up in the same foster home until I was adopted by Netossa and Spinerella.” Scorpia winces. Catra raises a brow in question.

“I, uh, I went to high school with Adora. That’s um where we met. Both big meat heads, always in the gym. I uh knew Ms. Weaver too.” Catra’s jaw drops. 

“Adora….she never got adopted?” She asks. Scorpia shakes her head. 

“Fucking shit.” Is all Catra can say. Scorpa looks down at her drink. 

“No one really knows what went on with her and Weaver, but we all had guesses.”

“We?” Scorpia nods. 

“Yeah all the soccer kids hung out together ya know and well Adora is really close with Glimmer and Bow and they always got so angry when Ms. Weaver was mentioned.” Scorpia sips her drink, hot chocolate. 

“You were on the soccer team?” Catra asks. Catra moved in with Scorpia in her off campus student apartment in mid June, and it was early September now. Scorpia being the overly friendly and won’t take leave me alone for an answer gal that she was, Catra thought there was truly nothing she didn’t know about her new roommate. 

“No, but um my friend Entrapta, she goes to Dryl Institute of Technology now on the other side of town, she was and we ran in the same athletic circles so.” Scorpia shrugs her shoulders. 

“I see.” Catra answers. She shouldn’t feel jealous of Scorpia, that she got to be friends with Adora in high school. But the clenching in her stomach says she is anyway. 

“So is that what happened to Adora? Why she’s in those crutches.The overachieving jock got some sort of injury. I’m sure Weaver pushed her to her limit like always.” Catra jeers trying to get control of her emotions again. Scorpia looked like a deer in the headlights. Catra straightened after taking a sip of her latte.

“What?” Scorpia opens her mouth to speak, shuts it again.

“Scorpia spit it out.”

“Catra...Ms. Weaver died last March. She and Adora were in a car accident.” Catra’s head felt light. Her breath caught in her chest. 

“Weaver’s...dead?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really hard to write. Do you know how hard it is to write Catra when she's had some love in her life? I hope you like the idea of Netossa and Spinny beating their love into Catra. They will feature heavily in this. Next Chapter is Adora's POV!


	3. Stand in the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora absorbs that Catra just walked into her life again.   
> Bow and Glimmer try to help her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of this chapter is setting up the world, well Adora's world. There's how the Best Friend Squad interact as well as some Mom-gella. This chapter was to show you the space Adora is in mentally as this story begins. Next chapter we are back with Catra. The two will interact again soon! This is apparently going to be slow going but the romance will come!

Adora doesn’t remember stumbling down the stairs in the library or moving across the quad to the townhouses. She doesn’t remember pulling open the sliding door or letting her bag and one crutch crash to the floor of the common area. She’s only aware of herself again once she is sitting curled into a ball on her lowered bed sobbing into her knees. 

_ Hey Adora _

The greeting was still ringing in her ears. Catra. Catra who she hadn’t seen since they were twelve. Catra who left her, left her in that house. Catra was at Brightmoon. She’s not sure how long she sits there in the dark, shaking and tears stream down her face. As her thoughts spiral, memories swirling around in her head. 

_ “ Adora, a new girl has come to live with us. She will be sharing your room.” Ms. Weaver says pulling Adora by her arm out of her room. She was four, she had been in Ms. Weaver’s home for two and a half years. The house was big and immaculate. Ms. Weaver liked everything to have a place, liked everything to be in its place. Including Adora.  _

_ Down in the front room another toddler was sitting on the floor. Her hair was wild and she was trying to push herself up onto two tiny legs. Ms. Weaver pulled Adora into the room and the girl looked up. Her mix matched eyes met Adora and she flinched backwards.  _

_ “This will be a good chance to learn responsibility, Adora. Take care of her.” And with that Ms. Weaver left the room. Adora turned back to the girl. She was younger than Adora but not by much. The girl was glaring at where Ms. Weaver had stood and then turned to Adora. Adora flinches then holds out her hand.  _

_ “ Your name is Adora?” The girl says, her voice small and high. Adora nods.  _

_ “That’s a stupid name.” She spits and smacks Adora’s hand away. Adora shrugs. The girl narrows her eyes. _

_ “I’m Catra.” Catra, the name fit the skinny girl. Adora could picture her with ears and a tail, hissing. Adora giggles at the mental image before slapping a hand over her own mouth. Catra’s eyes widen in surprise. _

_ “So you can talk.” She smiles. “Well let’s go...Adora….Adora...” _

“Adora!” Glimmer’s form darkens the doorway for a split moment before the overhead fluorescent illuminates the room causing Adora to snap her eyes closed and groan. 

“Shit, Adora!” Glimmer is beside her bed in a moment. 

“Glimmer, it’s alright. Stop panicking.” Adora gets out squinting her eyes open. 

“What are you talking about! You’re supposed to be in class right now. One of your crutches and your backpack are on the floor. The sliding glass door is open. It looked like a fucking crime scene!”

“Glimmer, be serious.” Adora deadpans. 

“I am serious. Adora you scared me! Now what happened?” Tears sting Adora’s eyes. 

“I ran into Catra, at the library.” She whispers holding back a sob. Glimmer frowns in thought. Adora had met Bow and Glimmer in high school, two years after Catra left. They’d held her up when she was ready to fall down and not get up again. She had told them she’d grown up with a girl, that she was gone, had been adopted. That she was alone. 

“Catra’s here? At Brightmoon?” Adora nods and buries her face in her knees. 

“Adora, what happened?” Glimmer’s hand starts to rub Adora’s back. She doesn’t shy from the topography of her back, the scars. 

“I froze. She was there, just like I remember her, but grown. She cut her hair. She’s not as skinny. She’s um...she’s Scorpia’s new roommate.”

“Oh Adora.” Glimmer sits on her bed and pulls her into an embrace. 

“I um...I told her to get my number from Scorpia.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” Glimmer asks softly. Adora nods without hesitation.

“God, Glimmer when she left it hurt. It hurt so much and I never heard from her again. I was alone.”

“Hey none of that now.” Glimmer grabs her hands in her own and gives them a squeeze 

“You’ve got me and Bow. My Mom and Dad. And Mara and Razz now. You aren’t alone.” Adora nods and Glimmer straightens. 

“C’mon. Let’s get out the frozen mochi I bought at Trader Joe’s this weekend and wait for Bow to get out of class.” Glimmer says standing. Adora nods and begins to stretch out her legs. She hisses flinching in pain. She doesn’t know how long she stayed in her curled up position lost to memories and a panic attack. Glimmer flinches. 

“Bad?” She asks knowing the answer. Adora sighs but nods. She missed her second class anyway, she’ll have to email her professor, maybe CC her rep from the Disabilities Office. 

“Can you get me a glass of water. I’m done for the day anyway I’ll take the pain .” tincture.” Glimmer nods then smirks. 

“Hey Bow will be so proud.” She winks drawing a watery chuckle from Adora. Glimmer and Adora dig out the box of frozen mochi and lounge on the dorm couch where Adora started her morning. Adora’s feet are elevated on Glimmer’s lap and they sit sharing stupid idiotic tik tok videos until Bow walks in. Adora is feeling the full affects of her medical marijuana and throws her arms out and dopily smiles.

“Bow! You’re home!” Bow smiles at the pair and sets down his bag. 

“Yeah, you take your meds Adora?” He asks pulling out a kitchen chair and slumping into it.

“Yup.” She pops the “p” and throws the last of the mochi ball in her hand into her mouth. Bow chuckles fondly. Adora’s medical marijuana was something she didn’t take lightly. Her antidepressants were supposed to help manage the pain receptors but on bad days this was her best option. She refused to try opiates and her friends backed that decision completely. The downside is how bad the tincture tastes. 

“So you didn’t go to your second class Adora?” Bow probes and Adora pouts at Glimmer. 

“You told on me.” Glimmer raises her hands in surrender. 

“Not everything. Just that today was bad and we needed a Best Friend Squad meeting before dinner with my parents.”

“I deduced the rest.” Bow reassured. Adora sighed. She had taken her hair out of her ponytail and it flowed over her shoulders like golden silk. She stared at the floor. 

“I saw Catra after my first class, in the library. And I had a panic attack?” She ended her explanation with more of a question than a statement. Glimmer nods. 

“She was in bed when I came in after class. Left her stuff all over the floor and the sliding door open. Gave me a heart attack.” Glimmer mumbles the last part under her breath. 

“Catra, the girl you grew up with?” Bow asks, eyes wide. Adora nods. 

“She’s Scorpia’s roommate. She transferred to Brightmoon.” Bow’s jaw drops. 

“Not helping Bow.” Glimmer growls. 

“Right. Sorry. Just Processing.” Adora snorts and Glimmer nods. 

“Join the club.” Glimer retorts biting into another mochi. The trio sit quietly for a moment. 

“Well, do you want her back in your life Adora?” Bow finally asks. Adora sighs. 

“It’s all I wanted for so long. But I don’t know her. Not anymore.” Her brow furrows and she trails off. 

“But you told her to get your number from Scorpia.” Glimmer reminds her quietly. Adora nods. 

“Now that she is here. How can I do anything but let her back in. We were all each other had for so long. And now.” Bow reaches forward and squeezes Adora’s knee. 

“Hey not something you need to have the answers to now or even ever. She reached out and you accepted and you did so on your terms. Maybe tomorrow you should call Mara. She said to call anytime you needed to, session or not.” Bow nudges and Adora nods. She’d grown close to her therapist at the equestrian center and become like sisters even outside of therapy. The trio camp out in the common area for the rest of the afternoon. Bow and Glimmer work on homework assignments and Adora drafts an email to her Rhetoric professor. Adora’s pain fades to the background like white noise as she spends time with her two best friends. 

Glimmer checks the time on her phone before sighing. 

“I’m going to put this back in my room then we should head to my parents’ apartments.” Glimmer closes her textbook and stands. Bow stretches too. 

“Oh relax Glim, they just want to hear about our first day. I think it’s nice.” Glimmer groans. 

“I just wish they didn’t live on campus in the President’s Apartments.”

“And where should they stay, the beach house in Mystacor?” Adora raises a brow and Glimmer blows a raspberry at her and heads down the hall into her room. Adora and Bow laugh. In a few minutes the threesome are walking past the administrative buildings to the Presidents’ Apartments. 

“Is your mom making bulgogi?” Bow asks as they make their way rubbing his hands together. Glimmer snorts. 

“My mom is in charge of cooking nothing. But my dad will probably be making bulgogi, yes.” Adora smiles. It’s an ongoing joke that Angella can’t cook to save her life but she always makes her presence in the kitchen known. 

“She tries Glimmer.” Adora reasons from where she shuffles next to the pair. 

“I swear she doesn’t need to! My grandma died when I was a baby. There's no one expecting her to be able to cook traditional Korean food anymore.” Glimmer throws her hands in the air. Bow chuckles and shakes his head. 

“Her BBQ Buns are good.” He offers and Glimmer nods conceding the point. 

“Her saving grace to the Kwan side of the family.” She sighs. The trio has made it to the front door of the President's apartments and Glimmer slides her key into the lock. 

Glimmer grew up splitting her time between these apartments where her mom worked and summers at their family beach home in Mystacor. The hallway is old cherry with a white tile flooring that leads deeper into the living quarters. The first door on the left is the formal sitting room, kept clean and closed up for the most part unless Angella and Micah are entertaining special university guests. Adora had only been in there once during her tour of the home during Thanksgiving of her Freshman year of high school. Beyond that was the shared office space of Angella and Micah, the family room with the largest flatscreen Adora had ever seen. Rounding out the ground floor was the kitchen/dining room. There was a more formal dining room adjacent but again that was rarely used except for holidays and university guests. 

Music was drifting through the hallway from the kitchen along with Micah’s booming laughter. A tension Adora rarely let go of relaxed as the scents and sounds filled her with a familiarity. 

“Mom, Dad! We’re here!” Glimmer calls as they remove their shoes and walk down the hallway in their socks. Micah pops out of the kitchen, apron tied around his waist and opens his arms wide. Glimmer smiles and gives her dad a big squeeze. 

“Hi Babygirl.” He says softly before releasing her and meeting Adora and Bow. 

“Hi you two! How was everyone’s first day of sophomore year?” His grin stretches across his face as he gives Bow a side armed hug and squeezed Adora’s shoulder. Adora met Bow’s gaze and smiled at Micah.

“It was good, Mr. Kwan, thanks for cooking dinner for us.” Adora says ignoring Bow frowning at her. She didn’t want to let Angella and Micah in on her morning panic attack or missing her second class of the semester. The four of them go into the kitchen and greet Angella who stands observing a pan on the large island stove. 

The dinner leaves Adora feeling warm and though she barely lets herself think it, like coming home. After the accident Adora had been talked into staying in their guest room instead of at Ms. Weaver’s house by herself. Somehow in that five months before she moved into a dorm staying with Glimmer’s family was the most at home she had felt since Catra left. 

_ Adora carefully sat up a nurse supporting her back. The stretch of her skin made her hiss in pain. She was wearing low slung sweats and a button down flannel as she couldn't pull a shirt over her back yet. A knock sounds at her room and she looks up to see Glimmer and her parents.  _

_ “ Hello Adora.” Angella greets with a soft smile. Glimmer walks forward and gently wraps Adora in a soft hug.  _

_ “Hi Mrs. Kwan what’s going on?” Adora asks after patting Glimmer on the back.  _

_ “Adora, Micah and Glimmer and I...well we’d like you to come stay with us on Brightmoon University campus for a while.” Adora’s eyes widened. _

_ “But what about…” Glimmer cuts her off.  _

_ “Bow and I will go get your stuff from your room at Weaver’s. You can stay in the guest room. It’ll be like a big sleepover all summer!” She grabs Adora’s hands and gives them a squeeze. Adora looks between Angella and Glimmer’s hopeful faces and finds herself nodding. _

_ “ Um okay I guess.” Her voice comes out quiet and a bit shaky.  _

_ "Great!” Glimmer cheers.  _

_ “You are ready to go now Miss Grey, are they your ride?” The nurse interjects wheeling a chair up for Adora. Adora frowns down at it. She had already tried to argue out of using the chair, but it was hospital policy to be used. And truthfully Adora still got tired out on her crutches too quickly and would need more practice before being able to go far without needing a break. The nurse and Angella help ease Adora into Angella’s car. Adora is breathing heavily by the time she is buckled in and her hands shake. The hospital is on the other side of Etheria from Brightmoon and it's a good forty minute drive with traffic. Angella drives carefully, fearful of any sudden lurch causing pain to swim through Adora’s nerves. Glimmer keeps up a steady thread of one sided conversation as they drive describing the room they got ready for Adora while she was in the hospital, how they could paint it whatever she wants, and how Bow was going to meet with them tonight for a celebratory Best Friend Squad dinner. Her dad was cooking. Adora smiled and nodded at appropriate times but her head wasn’t really in it. Not that she really knew where her thoughts were. As they pull onto the campus Angella turns and quietly asks, _

_ “What do you need, Adora?” Adora blinks. What did she need? A pair of mismatched eyes swam in her head before she could clear her thoughts. She focuses. She needed to figure out what’s going to happen now that Weaver was gone. She needed to move out of Weaver’s house. She needed to make sure she had somewhere to live. Some way to go back to school for finals and then for the fall. But first, first she needs to take care of Ms. Weaver’s affairs. It was her responsibility to Ms. Weaver who raised her that came first.  _

_ “I...what did they do with Ms. Weaver?” Is what she asks instead. Adora doesn’t understand why Angella looks at her the way she does.  _

As the three sophomores finish dessert at the table Angella sits with a cup of tea brought to her by Micah. 

“Adora, I wanted to ask how your hips and lower back handled the first day back. I know it's a lot of sitting in one position.” Angella says conversationally. Adora feels ice drip down her spine. 

“I um I had a hard pain day. Woke up early with it but Bow and Glimmer make sure I take care of myself.” Adora decides to give Angella the truth here and shares a small smile with her friends. 

“I’m sorry, that’s rotten luck.” Micah says joining the group at the table with coffee. He slides a mug to his daughter who happily takes it. 

“I’m used to it, now.” Adora says shrugging. Angella and Micah share a look. Angella reaches across the table and gives Adora’s hand a squeeze. 

“Well if you need anything let us know alright? You’re family.” Angella smiles. Family. The word swims in her brain with her recollections of the surprise appearance of Catra just that morning for the rest of the evening until the group of friends have returned to their dorms and retired for the night to their rooms. Adora lies on her back. She checks her phone, no new texts and 2:45 AM. She needs to go to sleep. She needs to be able to have a better day for classes tomorrow afternoon. She sighs and thinks to herself, Catra was her family too once. The only family she had ever needed for a long time. Would she even want to be again? Did Adora want that again? She checks her phone again before grumbling into her pillow. 

No new notifications. 


	4. Haunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra absorbs the information of the day- seeing Adora again, finding out Weaver died

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy some momma Spinnerella and Netossa and some besties Scorpia and Catra. If there wasn't so much setting the scene of the story here I'd say its fluff!
> 
> Also I didn't know the Promise scene was going to happen this early but here we are!
> 
> Enjoy
> 
> Next chapter our girls meet again.

Catra laid on her bed in the privacy of her room staring at the ceiling. She had gone through the rest of her day in a daze after Scorpia told her Ms. Weaver had died. She knows she finished her coffee, that she went to her afternoon classes, that she ate a microwave dinner. Before Scorpia got home from practice she hid away in her room, door closed. Her cat Melog sat on her chest and kneaded her stomach as she stared blankly. 

She couldn’t count the times she had wished Weaver dead and gone when she lived with her and Adora. Hell all through high school she cursed the old bitch out in therapy sessions or conversations with her moms. She sighs closing her eyes. She should call them, they’d know what to say. Or at least they’d have  _ something _ to say. They wouldn’t stare at her like she would break. Netossa especially had never been exactly gentle with Catra and at fourteen it had been the kick in the ass she had needed. Catra dials the number, puts her phone on speaker and balances the phone on her face. 

“Hello Moonpie, we didn’t think we’d hear from you again today.” Spinerella’s voice over her speakers was like a balm to her mind, stopping it from racing in circles. She couldn’t even get mad about the ridiculous nickname she had for her. 

“Hey Mom.” Catra replied, any other words getting stuck in her throat. On the phone she hears the sound of the television stop. 

“Catra what’s wrong? Did you have a bad day kiddo? You know that’s okay.” Netossa’s voice floats over the line. 

“No, no. I mean I don’t know.” Catra screws up her eyes trying to sort through everything she’s feeling. 

“Sweetie, walk us through it.” Spinerella says softly. Catra takes a deep breath.

“I ran into Adora today in the library.” She says quickly. For a moment the line is quiet. 

“Adora Grey?” Netossa asks, and she knows her mom is feeling the impossibleness of this. 

“Yeah, the girl I grew up with  _ in that house. _ ” Catra growls. But Adora was so much more than that. Adora who stood up for Catra against every teacher that accused her of not trying hard enough. Once she moved in with Spinnerella and Netossa it was discovered she was dyslexic. Adora who was almost completely mute until Catra came to Weaver’s house. Adora who was her best friend. Adora who never tried to call her or send her an email or anything when Catra left because Adora was the good little girl and when Weaver told Catra she’d never hear from Adora again Catra couldn’t believe it. But for eight years she had no contact. And she never dared try to contact her, only to hear she wouldn’t talk to her, that she wasn’t  _ allowed _ . It would have broken her and then after therapy she was scared. Scared of spiralling. Scared just hearing her voice or god forbid that Weaver had been right, it would break Catra all over again.

“What happened?” Netossa asked and Catra could practically see her mama bear instincts kick in. 

“She looked like she’d seen a ghost. I think….I think I gave her a panic attack mom.” Catra felt her heart clench in her chest. She’d had enough of them to know what they looked like. 

“Did you talk to her?” Spinnerella nudges gently. 

“I tried. She...she ran away. She’s friends with Scorpia, from high school. She said I could get her number from her. Then she left.” Catra ends softly. 

“Trauma is hard Catra, and we don’t know what else happened to her after we got you out.” An old familiar anger flickered along Catra’s spine. A feeling she hasn’t had since she was thirteen and had been living with Spinerella and Netossa for a year. 

“She was never adopted.” And despite her best efforts it comes out accusatory. Catra hears her mothers’ sigh and can picture how they are looking at each other right now curled under a blanket Netossa knitted on their ratty couch in their new family room. 

“You can’t blame yourself Catra. It isn’t your fault you got out and she didn’t. You don’t need to feel guilty for the life you’ve gotten.” It’s practiced words. A concept that had been hard to swallow like an exceptionally large pill. 

“She’s on crutches. There was an accident last spring. I don’t know the details but Weaver died. She’s gone.” Catra’s voice catches and she bites her lip to fight a sob. 

“Oh Catra.”

“I hated her,  _ hate _ her so much. She made my childhood hell before you two adopted me and now...now she’s gone and...and Adora is alone, I wasn’t there mom!.” The sobs come anyway. Her moms say soothing words to her as she lets out her grief and confusion and guilt over the phone. She hiccups and Melog curls up under her chin and starts to purr. Her tears slow. 

“Have you tried to contact Adora, sweetie? Did Scorpia give you her number?” Her mom asks after Catra has begun to calm down. 

“No, Scorpia gave me her number but I haven’t said anything to her yet.” 

“Take any time you need kiddo, but maybe now you two can reform your friendship on a lot more solid ground. Away from her, free.” Netossa says tentatively.

“Or you don’t have to at all. Just because you bumped into Adora doesn’t mean you have to let her in your life again.” Spinnerella also says gently. Catra feels her eyes widen. She’d never considered that, now that Adora was back in her orbit the thought of letting her drift away never crossed her mind. She didn’t want her to not be in her life anymore. She wanted to try at something with Adora. Even if it’s just making sure she’s okay.

“I want to talk to her again. Leaving her was like breaking my heart in half.” She admits quietly. Her cheeks warm at the embarrassing admission. 

“Okay hon, but remember she is her own person now too, don’t expect everything to fall back into place like you’re both twelve years old again.” Netossa, ever cautious, says. 

“Yeah okay. I’m going to go to bed now, it’s been a long day.” Catra’s moms wish her good night and she hangs up. Catra holds up her phone and stares at her screen as she scrolls to the new contact in her phone: Adora Grey. Catra sits up. Melog mewls his displeasure before walking to Catra’s pillow and getting comfortable. Catra swings her legs over the bed and grabs her laptop. She opens Facebook and types in her name. It’s pretty obvious which profile is hers as the picture is a group shot with her in a wheelchair scowling at the camera with a tall kid in a crop top and a short girl with dual dyed pink and purple hair making cheesy faces. Catra opens her profile. It’s privated, but she clicks on the sparkly girl’s profile to see she hasn’t put much on private. Catra opens her pictures to see perfect little albums all arranged. She clicks on one with a snort at the title: Best Friend Squad The High School Years. 

Catra scrolls past pictures of wide eyed pinkie and the crop top kid as freshmen and stops when she sees the first picture with Adora. She’s wearing khaki slacks and a red polo shirt, probably purchased by Weaver. Her hair is up in a ponytail with a ridiculous poof in front and she smiles awkwardly at the camera. Sparkles has their arm around her shoulders and Catra can tell Adora is unsure about the touch. She has the same perpetual dark circles under her eyes. Catra flicks through pictures of Glimmer photobombing Adora studying, Adora on the high school Soccer team, surprisingly so is the girl and Crop Top. There’s the three of them before a school dance, the caption has a pouting emoji as this Glimmer girl complains that one of her best friends won’t go to Prom. Weaver would never allow her to go, Catra muses. A girl down the street when they were ten held a halloween party and invited the whole block. Weaver had scoffed when her and Adora had asked to go. 

_ “Just for an hour?” Catra had weedled hands pressed together in supplication. Adora stood nervously behind her but looked up at Weaver, hope in her eyes. Weaver sighs. _

_ “You both are too old for such childish things. Adora you should have known better than to allow Catra to ask for such things.” Weaver puts a hand under Adora’s chin raising her face to look at her. Adora gulps and Catra notices her hands trembling before she can squeeze them into fists to hide it.  _

_ “Adora doesn’t have to allow me to do anything! I’m not her pet!” Weaver had only hummed in response.  _

_ “We uh we’re sorry for disturbing you Ms. Weaver. We’ll go upstairs.” Adora pulls at Catra’s arm. Catra grinds her teeth but follows. Once in their room Catra falls face first onto her bed and screams into a pillow.  _

_ “Catra stop we’ll get in trouble if Ms. Weaver hears you. She’ll put you in the basement again.” Adora says eyeing the door. Catra sits up and glares at Adora.  _

_ “Maybe if you stood up for me for once this wouldn’t happen Adora! She treats me like I’m not even human. She treats you like you're her prize race horse! We need to get out of this place Adora.” _

_ “How? We are ten years old. We can’t just leave.” Adora sits next to Catra on her bed. Tears sting at Catra’s eyes.  _

_ “I always thought one day my real parents would show up and take me back. That I could go back home.” Adora squeezes her hand as she hiccups on a sob.  _

_ “Hey, I’ll always be your family and nothing really bad can happen as long as we’re together.” _

_ “You promise?” _

_ “I promise...Now come here maybe we can’t go to the Halloween party or Trick or Treating but I made you a costume!” Adora jumps off Catra’s bed and runs to her own. She gets down on her hands and knees and pulls out a cardboard box. Catra knows it holds all her treasures and not even Weaver knows about it. Adora opens the box and pulls out a headband with cardboard cat ears taped to the top and folds out a black construction paper tail.  _

_ “ You can be a black cat! And look!” She pulls out a folded newspaper hat carefully scribbled over with black sharpie. _

_ “I’ll be your witch! Every black cat needs a witch!” Catra giggles and puts the headband on.  _

_ “I think you’ve got that backwards dummy.” _

Catra is pulled from her memory by a knock on her bedroom door. She blinks and realizes she had gotten a little teary eyed and wipes her face with the heel of her hand. She sets down her phone and calls out. 

“Door’s open Scorp!” Scorpia cracks the door open and pops her head into the room. 

“I um I know I don’t really understand what happened today but I made hot chocolate and thought you could use a cup. If I’m intruding on a boundary I can leave!” Catra smiles at her roommate.

“It’s fine Scorpia. Come on in.” Scorpia beams and bumps the door the rest of the way open and brings two mugs on a tray she balances on one prosthetic. Melog jumps off Catra's bed and runs out the door through Scorpia’s legs. The mugs are piled high with whip cream and a cinnamon stick sticking out of the hot chocolate. Catra accepts hers with a small breathy thanks. 

“So um have you texted her? Adora I mean.” Scorpia asks as she sits at the desk chair and takes a sip of her own mug. 

“No, I called and talked with my moms and then I kind of got caught up Facebook stalking her.” Catra winces at the admission and hides her blush behind a sip of the hot cocoa. It’s delicious. 

“Oh gosh! I didn't think Adora was all that big into social media.” Catra nods. 

“She isn’t. I mostly looked through her sparkly friends’ photos.” Catra replies. 

“Sparkles…” Scorpia screws up her face in concentration, “Oh you mean Glimmer Kwan! Yeah she, Adora and Bow were on the soccer team with me at Etheria High.” 

“They um...the three of them were close?” Catra asks, keeping her eyes on the whip cream melting in her mug. 

“Yeah pretty inseparable. Glimmer, Bow, and I went to the same middle school. I think Adora was in their homeroom or something? I didn’t meet her until Soccer season started up. Girl was fast! And knew her way around a soccer ball.” Scorpia said.

“Yeah, not surprising.” Catra sighs. The girls are quiet drinking their hot chocolate. Catra’s mind swirls around the years she was in Horde City, everytime she pushed away memories of a dumb gap toothed smile, or a blonde ponytail. She hadn’t exactly been a loner in middle school, begrudgingly speaking with some of the kids who didn’t balk at her snark. Eventually in high school after going into therapy and getting her dyslexia diagnosis life started to stop sucking as much. 

She begrudgingly made friends with the kids that had gone to her high school with her from her middle school. Lonnie was tough as balls, took no shit from anyone, especially Catra. When they weren’t at each other’s throats they had their tongues down each other’s throats, at least for the majority of sophomore year as they figured out their bodies their preferences. Eventually the fire between them slowed and they were best friends. With Lonnie came what she affectionately called “her boys”. 

Kyle was a small wiry blonde kid. Good at art, quiet. Rogelio was deaf but tall and shot the best three pointer in their city. Catra was the only one who knew when the three of them started dating their senior year. Rogelio got a full ride to be on the Crimson Wasters, a state school down south. Lonnie and Kyle followed him. They kept in contact with her through facebook and twitter. Lonnie was studying pre-law and Kyle dropped out to start a tattoo shop. Scorpia gets her attention, kicking her foot with her own. 

“You should text her Catra. I can tell you all kinds of stories about soccer and how last spring went down. But I don’t think those are all stories you want to hear from me.” Scorpia gives her a small smile. 

“Yeah okay.” Catra looks at her phone. “It’s late Scorpia and I know you’re exhausted.” Scorpia catches the hint and stands. She offers to take Catra’s mug but she waves her off. 

“Night Wildcat.” Catra groans. 

“I’m never getting rid of that nickname am I?” She yells behind Scorpia as she closes Catra’s door and is only met with a booming laugh. Catra fiddles on her phone. Pulls out some homework after she gets frustrated staring at the blank text box on her screen. When she finally crawls into bed and grabs her phone again it is almost two in the morning. She tries to sleep. Tosses and turns before rubbing her eyes and groaning into the dark of her room. She picks up her phone again. 

**Catra: Hey Adora this is Catra.**

She groans and deletes it. Types again.

**Catra: This is Catra, just say…**

She doesn’t even let herself finish that one. Finally, with a huff she types out one word and stuffs her phone under her pillow determined to let it be and go to sleep. The next morning her alarm wakes her up and she sits up slowly yawning. When she looks at her phone her eyes widen.

**Catra: Hey.**

**Adora: Hey Catra.**


	5. You Were Only Waiting for this Moment to Arrive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra and Adora get together for coffee. Tows are stepped on, bridges are being built. It's not everything but it's a start. 
> 
> By the way this fic has a spotify playlist. I take lyrics from songs and use them as the chapter titles.   
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4pL1RNNmtduMjHnTTg0XgH?si=WxkQneitRVegLGFxGBR-Zw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to get out.   
> I had serious writer's block for this chapter. I knew what I wanted to get out of it but didn't know how to make the characers get there.   
> Hope you guys enjoy it!

Adora woke with a sleepy groan as her alarm sounded from her phone. She grapples for the phone on her nightstand with her eyes closed. Her hand finds it and when she slaps the screen the alarm quiets. She pulls the charging cord from her phone and pulls her hand and  phone closer to her face. She unlocks her phone. 

One new text message notification. Adora’s eyes widen. She uses her fingerprint to quickly unlock her phone and sits up on one arm. 

**Unknown Number: Hey**

Adora swallows, her throat suddenly dry. She heaves herself the rest of the way up. She texted her. Adora ignores the low ache in her back and hips as she swings them around, steadying her feet she grabs her crutches and pulls herself up. She makes her way into the kitchen, phone in her pajama pant pocket. Bow stands just inside the sliding glass door stretching post run. 

“Good morning Adora!” Adora smiles.

“ ‘Mornin Bow.” Her sleepy body still makes her voice slow and heavy. She grabs a clean glass off their dish draining rack and turns to the small fridge. Inside is the water purifying pitcher Glimmer insisted they buy. She pours herself a full glass and gulps it down. She pulls the glass away with a gasp for air. Leaning against the counter, she lets her head hang and catches her breath.

“What’s up Adora?” He asks coming out of a downward facing dog, eyebrow raised. Adora pulls her phone from her pocket, unlocks it and types one line.

**To Unknown Number: Hey Catra.**

She holds out her phone screen for Bow to see.

“She texted me.” And she feels a small smile pull at her lips. Bow gasps and surges forward. 

“Wow a one word text?” He says a bit skeptically. Adora shrugs. 

“I mean what do you text your childhood best friend after eight years? Who knows if she’ll even text me again.” Adora bites her lip. 

“But you want her too.” Bow says. Adora sighs, fiddles with the empty glass.

“When Catra left, a hole opened up inside me Bow. I forgot it was there for a while but it's like yesterday I was reminded of a gaping emptiness inside me. Like someone started to try to fill it with light. Now that I know she’s here. I can’t walk away.” Bow smiles softly at her and pulls her into a hug. 

“If you need anything you ask me and Glimmer okay?” He asks and she nods. He pats her back.

“How’s?” And he gestures at her hips.

“Better today.” Adora replies. Bow nods. 

“Do you want to go through some stretches with me? Might keep your muscles from getting tense after yesterday.” Adora nods her agreement and the two push the coffee table out of the way and begin a set of floor stretches for Adora’s hips and lower back. The burn of the stretch is a good kind of pain and distracts Adora from repeatedly checking to see if Catra has woken up, if she responded yet. The stretching leaves her feeling loose and when Bow offers to make her yogurt and granola for breakfast she takes him up on it. As she sits at the breakfast table her phone begins to vibrate cutting Bow off mid sentence. Both of their eyes slide to her phone on the tabletop. With a slightly shaking hand Adora grabs her phone. 

**Unknown Number: Hey, what is your morning like? Would you like to meet on campus for coffee?**

Adora reads it three times. Another message comes in.

**Unknown Number: Scorpia grabbed my phone...but if you do want to meet I’d like that** .

“Well?” Bow asks. Adora looked up, she felt silly for the tears stinging her eyes. 

“She texted back.” It comes out as a cross between a whisper and a whimper. 

**Adora: Yes I can meet which cafe?**

Adora quickly texts back and hits send before she can overthink her response. 

“What did she say?” Bow asks.

“She wants to get coffee on campus.” Adora’s voice is breathy and she feels her breath pick up a bit and her vision starts to tunnel. Bow grips her shoulder. 

“Match your breathing to mine Adora. In and out.” Adora nods and takes a deep breath, holds it and lets it out slowly. 

“Thanks, sorry.” She winces. Bow rolls his eyes. 

“Nothing to be sorry about. Are you sure you’re ready to meet with her. Yesterday you spiralled into a major anxiety attack and you just started to have a small one now.” Bow says concerned. Adora bites at her lip. 

“I was caught off guard Bow. It was, it was seeing a ghost.” Adora says. Bow sets her yogurt and granola down next to where her crutches are leaning on the table. 

“It’s been less than twenty-four hours Adora.” He says again, voice edging into disappointed Dad tone mixing with worried Bow tone. Adora takes a deep breath with her eyes closed. 

“I’ll set boundaries. I’ll tell her what is and isn’t an okay topic.” She says and then meets his gaze. He searches her eyes before nodding slowly. 

“Alright.” He says still with caution. Adora’s phone buzzes. She looks down. 

**Unknown Number: Do you know Eclipse Coffee?**

Adora frowns. That’s the cafe on the entire other side of campus. But it wasn’t nearly as crowded and busy as the one on the central campus or in the library, Catra probably picked it aiming for a modicum of privacy. 

**Adora: Yes. What time did you want to meet?**

**Unknown Number: 30 minutes too soon?**

Adora times it in her head. It will take fifteen minutes to finish her yogurt and get dressed. And it shouldn’t take her that long to get across Brightmoon’s central campus. Nodding to herself she spoons a large mouthful of yogurt, blueberries, and granola into her mouth and texts back.

**Adora: Should be fine. I’ll meet you there.**

“Well?” Bow says taking a bi of his own yogurt and gesturing at the phone. 

“Meeting at Eclipse Coffee in thirty minutes.” Adora says with a small smile.

“Meeting who at the Eclipse Coffee cafe Adora?” Glimmer enters the kitchen with a yawn rubbing her eyes. Bow points to the french press, coffee already steaming waiting for Glimmer’s grumbling morning attitude. Adora and Bow meet eyes for a moment before she answers.

“Well, Catra, actually. She texted me late last night and I replied this morning.” She says, Glimmer pauses back turned still to the coffee. 

“Adora…” She sighs. Adora frowns.

“Don’t Adora me Glimmer.” She pouts. Glimmer turns around and throws her hands in the air. 

“I’m sorry, who came home yesterday to her roommate catatonic over this same Catra?” She throws back in exasperation. Adora clenches her fists, grabs her crutches, abandons her yogurt and her two best friends to get dressed. She finds herself staring at her closet in a pair of black leggings and a sports bra. She groans, throwing her head back. She’s just meeting Catra for coffee on campus. Not picking out a suit for a formal dinner. She grabs a loose tank top, maroon with block letters spelling out Insert Coffee to Begin. She slips into red crocs, throws her hair half up in a small messy bun, and grabs her crutches. 

“Adora, wait.” Glimmer stands blocking her way out of her room. 

“Glimmer, I’m going to be late.” She deadpans. Glimmer runs a hand through her bedhead.

“Look I’m sorry I snapped at you. I’m just worried. You really scared me yesterday and you’ve healed a lot since high school I’m just…”

“Just what?” Adora sks looking down. 

“I’m scared okay. As horrible as this spring was you are finally free of that place, from her. And Catra…”

“Catra was the best thing about that place. The only thing I can look back at and...and be happy. So I’m sorry too but I’m late.” Adora shuffles past Glimmer, avoids eye contact with Bow and leaves her dorm. As she walks across the campus she feels the burn in her cheeks begin to cool off. Morning classes have started and the campus is pretty empty as most people are in class or enjoying sleeping in. It’s early September and the mornings while not hot were not too cool to need a sweater. 

Adora makes her way to the other side of the campus and checks her phone. She’s late, like she told Glimmer but only by about two minutes. She sees another text from Catra.

**Unknown Number: Hey I got us a table, no rush.**

Adora doesn’t reply, instead hitting the automatic door button in lieu of balancing her crutches and pulling open the heavy door, thereby making a complete fool of herself entering the cafe. The scent of roasting coffee and baked goods hits her nose and she sighs, her stomach rumbling even after eating the yogurt from Bow. She swivels her head until she makes out Catra’s short brown curls tucked into a corner. Catra waves with a small smile and Adora returns it before going to the table. She gets to the table and Catra stands. She’s wearing distressed grey skinny jeans and a black vest, no undershirt. Adora gulps. 

“Um, hi.” Catra grins and looks her up and down. 

“Hey Adora. Are you seriously wearing crocs?!” Catra exclaims. Adora rolls her eyes.

“Trust me my roommate has made me very aware of how atrocious they are.”

“Doesn’t even begin to explain why you ever bought them though?” Catra says laughing. Adora blushes a bit.

“Well it’s easier when I have shoes I don’t have to bend over to put on and off. Ya know.” She bounces her crutches a bit. 

“Oh. Oh my god, Adora I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. No need to walk on eggshells around me.” Adora cuts her off. 

“Right. So a car accident?” Catra says instead and the ice in Adora’s veins makes an appearance. She takes a step back. 

“Yeah.”

“That’s all I get, Adora? Yeah?”

“It’s not like you’ve been around to deserve more Catra.” Adora winces as Catra’s eyes darken. 

“Right. I’m the bad guy.” Both girls are silent standing awkwardly. 

“Maybe I should go.” Adora says, beginning to turn around. A hand on her arm stops her. 

“Adora wait!” She stops, turns to face Catra again. Catra takes a breath then meets her eyes.

“I lied this morning. Scorpia didn’t steal my phone this morning. I wanted to meet with you but I was scared I’d ruin everything before it started. But it looks like I already did that.”

Adora smiles and the two of them shuffle awkwardly. Adora tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“No you didn’t. Look I meant to set boundaries before we started talking. Let us get to know each other again without prodding old wounds. Does that, does that sound okay?” Instead of any agreement Catra diverts.

“You um, you aren't wearing that ponytail anymore?” Catra stumbles. Adora blushes but smiles understanding the agreement has been made. 

“Oh, haha I actually only started changing that recently. It’s easier sometimes to not pull it up. You cut yours.” She offers in return. Catra raises a hand and touches her hair. 

“Yeah, Scorpia convinced me to cut it this summer. It’s much warmer here than in Horde City. Adora nods.

“Yeah the summer can be brutal.”

“I remember.” Catra says with a wry grin. Seeing it, something familiar to when they were kids starts to put Adora at ease. 

“Hey um I’m gonna go get a coffee and I’ll be right back.” Catra nods dumbly and Adora gets in line. From her periphery she sees Catra slap her forehead and mutter to herself. Adora giggles, at least she isn’t the only one struggling here. Despite the rocky start she’s still really happy to be here with Catra. She orders her mocha and an almond poppyseed muffin. When she rejoins Catra with her food and coffee she has steeled herself. 

“Let’s start over. Catra, it's really good to see you.” Catra smiles.

“It’s really good to see you too Adora.” Adora breathes a sigh of relief.

“So let’s just chat, no dredging up hard memories can we just catch up?” She asks, biting her lip. Catra chuckles but nods hands wrapped around her coffee cup.

“Yeah, I’d really like that.” Adora beams. 

“So,” she takes a sip of her drink, “why’d you transfer to Brightmoon?” Adora starts. Catra blows out a breath.

“My moms, um Spinnerella and Netossa, were moving back out here. Spinnerella took a new job she can work remotely and they were tired of the city. Most of my high school friends didn't stay in Horde so I elected to come back too. I didn’t want to be alone really.” She shrugs. Adora nods.

“Well that leads into…”

“Ah ah ah Adora, you got to ask a question, now it’s my turn.” Catra smirks and Adora can’t help but smile. She gestures for her to continue.

“Okay I expected more of a fight, give me a second.” Catra deflates and taps her lip thinking, Adora laughs. 

“What's your...major?” She eventually asks.

“Wow Catra, that's the best you got?” Adora teases and Catra crosses her arms pouting.

“Just answer the question.” She grumbles. Adora lets out another giggle and clears her throat.

“Linguistics and a minor in Creative Writing.” Adora shrugs. Catra laughs then.

“You always have been a dork. Let me guess you study Eternian.” Adora blushes nodding. Catra points.

“I knew it! You were always obsessed with their writing, and said it looked like the stars.” Adora pouts over her muffin.

“It does! Their writing system was based on the constellations!” Adora argues devolving into laughter herself. Catra leans her cheek on her hand and smiles. Adora returns it.

“What about you Catra, what’s your major?” 

“Mathematics.” Adora’s jaw drops. 

“What?” Catra says.

“I was expecting you to say Pre-law or Business,but wow Math, really.” Catra rolls her eyes.

“Yeah well numbers were always the only thing that made sense to me. Especially since you know I had dyslexia.” She shrugs one shoulder. Adora’s mouth drops. 

“So you got officially diagnosed!” She exclaims brightly. Catra blushes and Adora’s mouth runs dry, she has to swallow. 

“Yeah. Not long after I was adopted.” Something cold trickles down Adora’s spine at the reminder but she tries to keep her smile in place. She must not do too good a job as Catra grimaces.

“Right no bad memories.” Adora takes a deep breath.

“No, it’s alright. It’s not a bad memory for you and I’m glad you got diagnosed, got people to listen to you.” Catra placed her hand over Adora’s.

“You always listened, Adora.” Adora met Catra’s eyes, honeyed gold and crystal blue.

An alarm breaks their staring and both girls jump. Catra fishes out her phone. 

“Shit I’ve got class. But um can we, can we do this again. Hang out I mean.” She says gathering her trash. Adora smiles.

“Yeah Catra, sure. I’ll text you.” Catra gets up slinging a messenger bag on her shoulder. 

“Great,” she begins to walk away and turns back around.

“Adora.” Adora looks up.

“Yeah?”

“It wasn’t a good memory.”

“Huh?”

“Leaving you. It isn’t a good memory.” And with a blush staining her cheeks she turns and leaves the cafe. Adora stares after her, eyes wide. After a moment she turns back around in her seat and stares into her coffee.

“Oh.” She pulls out her phone, unlocks and looks at her text conversation with Catra from that morning. She hits edit, add to contacts. 

**Catra.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question? Are these updates long enough? I aim for between 2k-2.5k words each chapter, is that too short?  
> Also I'm not sure if the story will continue to move so slowly in time that is, as it is chapter 5 and we've only hit 24 hours in this world. We will have some time passing to move things along, at least I think we will. This story is kind of steering itself, and I am working in making them friends again before introducing romance, though I'll a crumb trail for them to follow to get there. 
> 
> Anyway enough rambling! See you next time!


	6. Take These Broken Wings and Learn to Fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra and Adora fall into their friendship quickly, texting the rest of the day. 
> 
> The night is ended with doing homework over video call 
> 
> And Adora has a nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update! I had a bit of writer's block with this chapter but I'm back in the flow again. Thanks for your patience! And thank you for reading!

The rest of the day went by in a blur to Catra. She replayed talking with Adora in her head through classes. After the last class of the day she headed to her car. She had a few texts from Scorpia telling her she’d talked to her boss at the local used bookstore and she had a job interview. Catra sighed in relief, there really was no other customer service based job she might be able to pull off without getting fired for attitude in two weeks. 

**Catra** : Thanks! I’m on my way home, I’ll see you tonight.

**Scorpia** : Of course!!! I’m making lasagna for dinner :)

Catra rolled her eyes at Scorpia’s eagerness. She pocketed her phone and got in the junker two toned hand me down Toyota she was proud to call all her own and had studiously ignored any and all hints from her moms about it being “lucky”. Her and Scorpia’s apartment wasn’t far from campus and truthfully she probably could walk it would only be about fifteen minutes, but that was fifteen minutes she could also spend in bed or at a coffee shop with Adora. She bites her lip to stop a smile. Her apartment sits at the top of the steepest residential street she has ever seen, and perhaps having to hike up it everyday was also a major reason she had begged for the hand me down car. As her Corolla crests the top of the hill with a creak Catra breathes a sigh of relief and pulls into the marked street parking. 

She makes her way to the second floor of the small complex. All doors face a central garden courtyard. She puts her key in the door and is welcomed into her home with a loud yowl from her cat, Melog. 

“Hey Grump-ass. You hungry?” Catra gripes walking over to the pantry after closing and locking the door. Melog keeps up his aria as Catra pulls out his bagged food and dumps a healthy amount into his bowl. She squats and pets him for a while as he eats.

“I didn’t fuck it up Melog. She wants to keep talking, at least she seems like she does.” Melog purrs as he eats and Catra rolls her eyes and stands up stretching. She meanders across the kitchen to the fridge and grabs a water bottle. Her phone pings.

**Adora:** Hey I didn’t get to say anything this morning but thanks for meeting up today. 

Catra chuckles and rolls her eyes. She leaves the kitchen to slump onto the couch, one leg stretched across the cushions.

**Catra:** It was my idea dummy.

Catra looks to her messenger bag and contemplates the homework she needs to get done tonight. It can wait. She closes her eyes and falls into a light doze. Melog soon joins her, curling up on her chest and purring. She’s warm and comfortable and the come down from the anxiety of meeting up with Adora this morning soon sends her into a deep sleep. 

“Wildcat! I’m home!” Scorpia bursts into the apartment groceries hanging off her arm.

“Ah!” Catra jumps, dislodging Melog and falling off of the couch. 

“Uh Catra? Why are you on the floor?” Scorpia says flipping on the kitchen light and starting to unpack the bags. Catra groans, unmoving from her spot face first on the cheap apartment carpet. 

“Catra?” Scorpia’s face pops over the back of the couch.

“I was napping.” Catra deadpans rolling over to glare at her roommate. Scorpia has the grace to blush lightly.

“Well it’s almost 7:30pm now. I’m gonna make dinner.” And she’s gone, Catra listens to her large footsteps pad into the kitchen and begin bungling about. She sits up and checks her phone. Adora replied with a smiley face emoji sticking out its tongue then ninety minutes later with another question.

**Adora:** What are you doing this weekend? My roommates are dragging me to Mermista’s First Weekend of the Semester House Party. 

**Catra:** Sorry I fell asleep, who’s Mermista?

She replies and slips her phone into her back jeans pocket. 

“Hey Scorpia, you want some help with dinner?” She asks yawning and stretching as she meanders into the kitchen. Scorpia smiles wide.

“Sure! You can lay the noodles, I have a hard time with that part with my prosthetics.” Catra nods and walks over to where Scorpia stands by the stove. In one hand Scorpia holds a specialized spatula spoon hybrid that clips onto her prosthetic, making stirring in the ingredients to her homemade lasagna filling easier. In a big pot of salted water the lasagna noodles were boiling. 

“Give them a minute, I’ll tell you when they are ready.” Scorpia nods at the pot. Catra nods and leans her hip on the counter on the other side of the stove from Scorpia. 

“Sooooo,” Scorpia says after a few quiet moments of catra watching her cook, “How was your morning with Adora?” Catra fights a blush. 

“It wasn’t a total disaster.” She concedes without making eye contact. Scorpia just keeps grinning. Catra shoves her shoulder.

“Shut up!”

“I didn’t say anything!” Scorpia laughs. Catra pouts before letting a small smile return to her face. 

“It was nice, we kind of bumbled a bit at the beginning but Adora set her boundaries and then it was like no time had passed, I was a pre-teen again.” 

“Boundaries huh?”Scorpia asks, mixing her tomato sauce and ground pork. Catra nods, gesturing at the noodles. Scorpia nods and Catra grabs the oven mitts to pick up the pot and walk over to the sink and the colander Scorpia had already set there. 

“Yeah, she uhm said no painful memories. So pretty much everything surrounding Weaver was off the table. And I think so was the second half of middle school.”

“So she basically wanted to bury and ignore the catalyst around your separation and the woman who abused you the first twelve years of your life?” Scorpia sounds a bit defensive. Catra’s back straightens.

“Who said anything about abuse?” Catra whispers. She hears a clattering behind her as Scorpia jumps.

“Oh shoot. I’m sorry it’s just…” Scorpia bites her lip obviously conflicted about what she’s allowed to say. Catra moved in at the beginning of June and Scorpia had welcomed her into her life both arms open wide. Catra had been skittish but Scorpia broke through her walls with a sledgehammer. Still, Catra hadn’t ever opened up much about her childhood before Netossa and Spinnerella adopted her. Catra lays the first layer of noodles in the lasagna pan as Scorpia seems to hem and haw over what to say. She starts to add the filling next to Catra before sighing. 

“We never...no one ever really knew for sure. Maybe Glimmer and Bow knew more but everyone in high school knew Ms. Weaver was harsh, overly so. Adora shut down anyone trying to ask her questions or offer help. But we all knew something wasn’t okay.”

“Scorpia stop.” She does and Catra heaves a sigh. She lays another layer of pasta on the layer of filling as she speaks. 

“I don’t know what happened after I was adopted, but Weaver always expected Perfection from Adora. Nothing less. I was largely ignored, forgotten about. But Adora was micromanaged. I’ve talked with my therapist about my childhood, how I was invisible unless I did something wrong. I don’t know what she’s dealt with or if she  _ has _ even dealt with how we grew up or anything after I left...” They are both quiet. 

“She started therapy after the accident. Bow told me, I see him at the gym when the weather’s bad and he can’t go for a run outside.” Scorpia says and Catra nods. 

“I want to know, I want to talk to her about everything. But I can’t scare her away. She was my first friend.” Scorpia finishes off the lasagna and Catra puts it in the oven. 

“I don’t think she wants to lose you as a friend again either. But you’ve gotten time to grow and heal and feel the love of your moms. She’s just now getting that help. It won’t be easy Wildcat, and you can’t exactly be impartial to the situation, you’re too close.” Catra looks down, scuffs the kitchen laminate with her shoe.

“I know, but I want to be there anyway.” Scorpia nods, crosses over and wraps her in a hug. She happily sinks into it. 

It’s after Catra and Scorpia’s late dinner, Scorpia freaking out over her crush texting her for help on a project for a class they share, and cleaning up the kitchen that Catra sits down at the desk in her room to get some work done. Her phone buzzes. Her and Adora had been casually texting back and forth through the evening. She found out Mermista was childhood friends with Adora’s roommate, Glitter or something. Scorpia confirms she lives in a big house down the road all the theatre majors rent with her boyfriend Sea Hawk, and a few others she hadn’t met. She learns Adora isn’t the biggest party fan but makes an effort when its ones thrown by her friend group. Catra is working on a problem and looking every few seconds at her phone waiting for Adora to answer when instead of a text message a video call comes through from Adora. Catra swallows against a dry throat. She swipes to answer and balance the phone against her computer screen.

“Hey Adora.” She says as the blonde comes into view. She’s laying on her side, a book open in front of her on her bed. She looks tired. 

“Hey, this was just easier than picking up my phone over and over.” She says, a slight blush spilling down her neck. Catra smirks.

“Wow, who knew you’ve gotten lazy in your college years Adora.” Adora sticks out her tongue causing Catra to laugh. Adora chuckles too.

“What are you working on?” Adora asks, Catra shrugs and gives a summary of the homework she has open in front of her. Adora’s eyes widen as she does.

“That sounds like another language Catra, are you sure it's math?” Catra rolls her eyes.

“Maybe I’ll find a way to write it out in Eternian and you’ll get it then.” Adora laughs. 

“What are you reading, Adora?” Catra then asks as she gives her attention partially back to her work.

“Mmm a book of Eternian Myths and Legends I have to pick one to work on a translation project.” Catra nods typing at her program on her laptop. 

“You mean you aren’t just going to automatically do the translation for the Princess of Power: She-Ra?” Catra quirks a brow at Adora who’s jaw drops.

“You remember that!” She exclaims. Catra cackles. 

“It’s only all you talked about after we found that book at the library that summer. You had just learned to read and I smuggled it out under my shirt for you to have at home.” Catra feels heat in her cheeks as she recalls wanting to give Adora that book. 

“I’m pretty sure the librarian saw you, but seeing as you didn’t have shoes and I didn’t have a winter jacket I don’t think she was exactly worried about the book.” Adora says wryly.

“Hey I had shoes! I just hated trying to tie them!” Catra remarks. Adora throws her head back and laughs at her incredulousness. Catra smiled. 

“Anyway,” Adora continues, “no I want to do something less well known. And less often translated. Hence researching the myths.” Adora holds up the thick book and wiggles it for Catra. 

“Mmm well let me know how it goes.” She drawls. Time ticks by this way. Catra works on her computer and Adora reads and they make small asides to each other as they work. Catra tells Adora about Scorpia’s homemade lasagna and Adora moans in jealousy. She says the only one who can kind of cook out of her roommates is Bow and even then he prefers tasteless uber healthy meals. 

“I would have thought you were a protein shake chugging meathead yourself Adora.” Catra comments off hand at that tidbit.

“I was, now I try to keep up some physical activity but it’s hard to find activities that don’t irritate my hips and back.” Adora says it offhand but Catra fels ice slither down her spine. 

“Adora I’m…” Adora waves her off. 

“It’s alright. The place I go for therapy has a Horse Therapy center and I’ve fallen in love with the place and yoga and pilates really helps me stay fit.” She says idly. Catra takes the dismissal of the levity of the topic for what it is.

“Wow you became a basic white girl Adora.” Adora splutters indignantly and Catra has to wipe away tears she laughs so hard. After working for a while longer Catra stretches and realizes Adora has been silent for a few minutes. She looks at her screen and notices she’s fallen asleep, head propped on her arm under her head, book flopped close. Catra can’t help but smile. Catra checks the time on her laptop, it’s almost 2AM. She should let Adora sleep and get ready for bed too. She looks at her homework, the graphing program open on her laptop. Then again this homework is due tomorrow afternoon in class and she’ll already be sleeping in. She cracks her neck and decides to get to work. She picks up her phone to end the call with Adora. 

Adora’s soft snores come through the speakers and a wave of fondness overcomes Catra. Her early childhood was falling asleep to those soft snores and the quiet snorts of Adora fast asleep. Adora always fell asleep first, usually exhausted after practicing and training for Weaver all day and knowing she would be woken up before the sun to start all over again. Her breathing is deep and steady. Catra realizes with a tightening of her chest that she missed this small bit of her old life quite a lot. And there is something comforting in listening to her oldest friend sleeping soundly, safely all the way on campus.

Catra hesitantly sets her phone back down. It can’t hurt, she thinks. She’ll just make sure Adora gets rest and if Adora wakes up she’ll tell her to go brush her teeth and go to bed. Catra goes back to her work and studiously ignores the voice in the back of her head telling her she’s acting like a stalker sparkly vampire watching her friend sleep from the corner of her eye as she chugs away at her work. The concept of no homework the first week of school is lost at BrightMoon. 

The numbers are starting to blur on the screen in front of her when Catra hears a noise come from her phone, from Adora. Mid-yawn Catra let’s her gaze land on her phone. Adora’s brow is furrowed and her eyes are twitching behind her eyelids. A low whine escapes her lips. It hits Catra.

Adora’s having a nightmare. 

“Hey Adora.” Catra says. Adora’s legs kick and she mumbles under her breath. 

“Adora, wake up you’re having a nightmare.” Catra grabs her phone holding it close to her face. Adra’s nightmare seems to escalate. Catra calls her name out, not sure what else she can do. 

“C’mon Adora, wake up!” Catra hopes her yelling hasn’t woken Scorpia. She’s seconds from absolutely yelling into her phone when Adora sits up choking on a scream. Adora’s eyes snap open and her breaths are coming too fast.

“Adora. Adora hey!” Catra sees the sign of a panic attack. Grounding techniques run through her head, all of which would be better if she was physically there. 

“Adora!” She calls weakly and is cut off when the sound of a door slamming open in Adora’s dorm filters through the phone. Soon she sees two blurs come into the room. One is a small girl with dual dyed hair who climbs on the bed and grabs Adora’s hands. Another is a tall boy who kneels partially blocking her view of Adora. Her roommates. She hears Adora’s friends talk her out of her panic. The boy starts to turn, Catra quickly ends the video call before she can be seen. 

Her heart pounds as she stares at the darked screen of her phone. She isn’t sure how long she sits there staring but not seeing replaying Adora’s nightmare and panic attack in her head.

“Hey Catra?” Scorpia knocks on the door, opening it a smidge. “Everything okay in here I thought I heard you yelling?” 

Catra’s head snaps up and she hastily drops her phone on the desk. 

“No! I mean sorry Scorpia. I didn’t mean to wake you up.” Catra stands closing her laptop. 

“Oh it’s alright Wildcat I was getting up for a glass of water otherwise I wouldn’t hear a thing, I’m a rather deep sleeper you know.” She says amiably.

“Right. Well I’m going to head to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow Scorpia.” Scorpia jumps but nods.

“Oh of course. Good night Catra, sorry for intruding.” And She slips out the door, shutting it behind her. Catra grabs her phone and turns off the overhead light. Her mind is spinning as she crawls under her blankets without bothering to change into pajamas. She doesn’t know when she will fall asleep. Adora’s panicked face is all she sees when she closes her eyes. She brings her phone up to her face, opens the text thread between her and Adora. She stares at it, at the light hearted conversation they had had before the phone call. She sets it down on her bedside table and rolls to face her wall. 


	7. When We are Young They Assume We Know Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra sees a bit of their past Adora hung onto
> 
> They go to the party
> 
> Trouble follows them in the form as one of the spectres of Adora's past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UUUUUUUUUGGGHHHHHHH this chapter was impossible. Especially the party scenes, it was like pulling teeth. And I'm still not completely happy with it, but I needed to just post it get it out there so I can move on! So sorry if the quality is sub par y'all.
> 
> Additionally, I have decided not to stick to a set posting schedule. It's too much pressure for fanfic which I write for fun and fandom. And these two love birds. So I will update regularly I just can't commit to a certain day of the week. It won't be abandoned and I won't leave y'all waiting for long, but having the idea of a deadline over my head just added unnecessary stress to the writing of this. 
> 
> Thanks for sticking around! We are really only just getting started so I hope y'all are in for a nice long ride!

**Catra: I’m outside**

Adora smiles at her phone when she sees the notification.

**Adora: Come on in! I’m still getting ready and Glimmer has barely started**

Adora stands from her desk, closing her laptop where she was working on some inspiration for her myths and legends project. She grabs one crutch in order to hurry to the sliding glass door where she sees Catra come up and peek her head into the suite. 

“Hey!” Adora says entering the common area. Catra jumps but smiles. 

“Hey! I brought you a mocha.” Catra holds out a to-go cup from Starbucks. Adora smiles.

“Oh thank you! You didn’t have to do that.” Adora turns and leads Catra who ducks behind a sip of her own coffee.

“You mentioned you were tired after your class this morning.” Catra shrugs and Adora beams. Since Adora had asked Catra to come with her and her friends to Mermista’s party they’d hung out to study at the library one night and been texting nonstop. Adora was riding the high of having her childhood best friend back. As they pass the bathroom Adora hears the blow dryer turn on and she chuckles, they still had about twenty minutes before Glimmer was ready to go. 

Adora walks into her room and sits back down at her desk, this time grabbing her hair tie and brush. She gestures to the bed.

“Go ahead and take a seat. Sorry I don’t have more seating, small room.” Catra waves her off.

“No worries, we only shared a bed until we were eleven anyway.” She says smirking. Adora sticks out her tongue as she puts her hair in a half up bun. She’s wearing black leggings and Scoop neck white velvet tank top. She would throw her jean jacket on as well. Glimmer assured her it was nice enough for the party without looking like she’d tried too hard. Which she hadn’t, she’d simply let Glimmer into her closet and vetoed two items. She watched Catra’s eyes roam her dorm room and eventually land on an old popsicle stick frame on her bedside table. Adora swallows as she watches Catra pick up the frame. Catra’s eyes widen and then flick up to meet her own. 

“It’s from that soccer camp when we were what eight?” She says softly. 

“You’ve kept it all this time?” Catra says softly. Adora shrugs feeling herself blush. 

“Yeah, you made it for me. And besides I think that was the last time I truly enjoyed soccer.” Adora grabs the frame and smiles at the picture of her and Catra. Catra had just scored a winning goal and was standing awestruck until Adora had picked her up and spun her around. Their counselor/coach had snapped the picture. During a rest day at the camp they’d done crafts, made frames for their proudest moments at camp. Adora had painstakingly painted her popsicle stick frame bright red. In it she had glued a picture of her whole team in a huddle grinning ear to ear. She had given it to Ms. Weaver and then found it when she took out the trash later that evening the day Catra and her returned from the camp. Catra had scribbled colors all over her frame until they messed into purple brown blobs, uncaring and indecisive in theme. She’d given her picture and frame to Adora that night when Adora was silently sobbing on her bed. 

Catra traced a finger down the frame smiling. Adora smiled at her friend. 

“Did you ever play again after you were adopted?” Adora asks, thinking she already knows the answer and is proven correct when Catra shakes her head.

“No, my moms asked if I wanted to continue and I just remember freezing. No one had ever asked what I wanted to do before, Weaver just put us there. They told me I could take my time in deciding and I just never did it again. I took art classes.” Catra offers. Adora nods, she remembers hoping against hope that any time her youth league played teams from other cities she’d see a familiar mop of brown hair or hear her laugh from across the field. But she never had. By the time high school rolled around she had figured Catra had left the sport. 

“You were always drawing.” She says in response. “Do you still draw now?”

“Yeah for fun, nothing serious.”

“I’d love to see your sketchbook someday.” Adora says and Catra blushes lightly, taking a sip of coffee in lieu of answering. Before the silence can get awkward Bow pops his head around the corner of Adora’s doorway.

“Hey! Oh Hi, you must be Catra I’m Bow!” He says stepping fully into Adora’s room and waving at Catra. Catra awkwardly gives a half wave back.

“Hi, you’re Adora’s other roommate right?” He nods smiling.

“Yeah! Me, Adora, and Glimmer have known each other since High School.” He says easily. He’s wearing distressed boyfriend jeans and a white crop top with the colors of the trans flag striped across the middle. His arms are adorned in worn friendship blankets of innumerable degrees of neon. Every single one was made by Glimmer at the summer camp they went to as kids and where they met. Adora only sees him take them off to shower, work out, and sleep. He also sports a choker with a little arrow charm and gold liner in his water line. 

“Anyway Adora I wanted to see if you wanted someone to do your makeup at all?” He says turning and addressing her. She wrinkles her nose.

“Nah don’t feel like it tonight.” She says and Bow shrugs.

“Okay I’ll be in the bathroom helping Glim if you need anything. Nice to meet you!” he says before bounding off. 

“He’s energetic.” Catra deadpans and Adora laughs. 

“Yeah he’s a ball of energy and good vibes. I think I’ve only seen him in a bad mood a handful of times. He says it's being a morning person and dawn runs.” Catra’s mouth drops, Adora smirks to not giggle at her reaction and takes a sip of her mocha. 

“He goes for a run at dawn? Every day?!” She gapes.

“Yup! I used to go with him too, ya know before.” She gestures at her crutches. Catra’s jaw snaps shut.

“Well yeah Adora but I always knew you were insane, good to know you plan on surrounding me with more insane friends.” Adora’s heart warms at the thought of Catra befriending her friends at Brightmoon. 

“Only the best.” She happily replies as Catra rolls her eyes. 

“So are we pregaming?” Catra asks, this is after all a house party. Adora shrugs.

“You can if you want. I don’t really drink, messes with my meds but I’m sure once Glimmer is done she’ll take a shot before we head out. Bow is DDing.” Catra nods. 

“Eh I think I’ll wait until we are at the house, can't go too crazy, need to drive my sorry ass home.” Adora smiles. They sit in quiet for a bit, Catra occasionally pointing out something on Adora’s walls before Bow comes back with Glimmer in tow. Glimmer’s cheeks are highlighted and Bow has drawn perfect winged eyeliner. She’s wearing a mid century purple dress and ankle boots. 

“Sorry I took so long! Hi I’m Glimmer.” She says to Catra who nods.

“Catra.” 

“Are we ready to go?” Glimmer asks and Adora nods, grabbing her crutches and standing up. Catra follows the trio. Adora tries to hang back to make sure her friend is included. Ahead Bow is going on about Seahawk, Mermista’s on again off again boyfriend who likes to set just about anything on fire. They reach Bow’s VW Bug and Adora rubs the back of her neck sheepishly.

“Sorry, but you’ll have to squeeze in the back with Glimmer, I can’t climb back there and get out easily.” She says. Catra smiles.

“Don’t worry about it, Princess I’ll ride in the back so you can luxuriate in shotgun.” Adora blushes.

“I’m not a princess.” She pouts, but she can’t ignore the fluttering in her stomach at the old nickname resurfacing. Catra simply raises a brow before swinging into the back seat. Glimmer meets her eye and rolls her own. Bow sighs.

“You sure you want them to be friends, it sounds like it could be a disastrous combination.” Bow says a touch of snark in his tone. Adora bumps his shoulder.

“Get in the car Designated Driver.” She grumbles before walking around the bug and sliding into the passenger seat. 

The theater kid house isn’t too far from campus, though far enough away to get away with the rousing parties regularly thrown there. Adora knows the house isn’t far from Ms. Weaver’s house and feels a chill run down her spine. She shivers, she wonders if Catra has noticed, if she remembers. She’s jolted from her reverie when Bow and Glimmer hit the chorus in the song blasting on the radio. She laughs at their antics as Bow scans for parking along the already packed street. She catches Catra’s eye in the rear view meal and sees her wince but chuckle at her roommates’ antics. 

The evening has started to cool and Adora is glad she wore her denim jacket. Music blares from the windows of Mermista’s house party, her neighbors also hosting groups of college and a few even older people hanging on porches drinking from beer bottles, solo cups, and chipped ceramic mugs alike. 

“Mermista will be in the back, holding court.” Bow says with a snort and leads the group inside. Adora walks beside Catra.

“Sorry, I told you these are a little crazy.” Adora says as they climb the front steps. Once they enter Catra has to yell for Adora to hear her over the bass. 

“I think I can handle a college party Adora.” Adora sticks her tongue out at the other girl’s smirk. They follow Glimmer and Bow into the kitchen where the two begin to grab drinks. Bow grabs a can of Pepsi and Glimmer pops the cap off a Heineken. Adora gestures to the table and raises a brow to Catra. She nods. 

“Is there spiced rum?” Catra asks as Adora and her reach the table. Glimmer hands over a bottle.

“Lemonade?” She asks next and Bow finds a bottle among the mixers. Catra makes her drink of choice and Bow’s eyes widen. 

“That looks amazing. Okay next time Glimmer drives and you are making me one of these.” He says pointing a finger Catra’s way. Catra laughs with her whole body, it ends in a tight squeal that makes Adora giggle. 

“You got it.” Catra agrees. Adora grabs some mint leaves and mixes lemonade and Sprite. Catra tilts her head in question.

“It’s a mocktail but really refreshing.” She tells her as they exit the beating heart of the party in the house to the backyard where college students lounge either around a fire table or a hot tub in the side yard. Sitting on the lip of the hot tub with a drink in one hand and a scowl is Mermista. Adora points her out to Catra.

“Mermista! Hey!” Bow raises his hand in the air and waves. Mermista’s attention is pulled away from Seahawk who had been ranting next to her in the hot tub to their group. The corner of her lip lifts in a smile. 

“Hey Bow, Glimmer, Adora, and…”

“Catra.” Catra interjects taking a sip of her drink. Mermista raises an eyebrow. 

“You new to Etheria?” She asks and takes a long drink from her Corona.

“Grew up here until middle school then moved to Horde City, now I’m back.” Catra shrugs her shoulder. 

“She and I grew up in Ms. Weaver’s house.” Adora interject Mermista scoffs.

“My condolences, she was a bitch.”

“Mermista!” Adora yells surprised. Catra lets her head fall back and laughs so hard tears come to the corner of her eyes. Adora stands still confused. Catra catches her breath and uses her drink to salute Mermista. 

“Ain’t that the truth!” Both girls nod and take a long swallow from their drinks. 

“Did...did they just become best friends?” Bow asks in a low whisper. Glimmer snorts and hides a laugh behind her hand. Adora feels an uncomfortable feeling start to swirl in her chest. She hides a frown in her own drink. 

“And I am Sea Hawk, legendary incendiary pirate of Brightmoon University! And lover to my sweet Mermista!” He declares and for a reason Adora hasn’t ever quite understood but accepts he holds a lit lighter in his hands. 

“How did you get that in the hot tub?” Glimmer yelps and Mermista groans.

“Hawk that didn’t even make sense.” She flops over hiding a blushing face in her hands. Catra snickers sending the swirling feeling in Adora off again. 

“Is Perfuma here?” Adora asks Mermista when she pulls her face back up. Mermista nods. 

“Yeah out by the back fence. She’s settling some accounts and chilling.” Mermista gestures. Catra’s eyes pop. 

“Wait, the Earth Science major Scorpia is crazy about?” Catra asks. And Mermista and Glimmer both groan and nod. 

“Um, Scorpia has a crush on Perfuma?” Adora asks the group at large. 

“It’s all she talks about at Rugby practice.” Mermista replies. Glimmer nods. 

“She brought it up when I ran into her on a hike with Bow this summer too.” 

“Oh.” Adora says quietly. Catra turns to her and tugs on her sleeve.

“Let’s go talk to her. I want to size her up if my roommate has her eyes on her.” Catra says protectively. Adora nods dumbly. 

“Yeah sure okay.” Adora and Catra peel off from the group by the hot tub and cross the yard to the back fence behind some bushes next to a storage shed. 

“Adora! Hi!” Perfuma says brightly as Adora and Catra appear in the dimmer back area. Perfuma is wearing leggings and a long sleeve flowy dress. Her hair is twisted into a bun at the base of her neck and a bandana headband on her head. Her eyes are lit by the blunt being passed around the circle of people by her. 

“Hey Perfuma! This is Catra, she’s new to the university and rooming with Scorpia.” Adora introduces her friend and takes the blunt when Perfuma offers it. 

“Oh! Is Scorpia coming?” Perfuma asks brightly. Catra shakes her head, but Adora swears her eyes follow the blunt in her hands. Was Catra not comfortable with marijuana?

“She has work in the morning opening the bookstore so she’s heading to bed early.” Catra replies. Perfuma seems to wilt a bit at that but nods. 

“Always so responsible that one.” She says wistfully and Adora begins to think Scorpia’s crush may not be one sided. 

“Yeah she’s a peach.” Catra replies and Adora can hear the smirk in her tone. Adora passes the blunt after a second hit. She doesn’t want to be too high, but is hoping the weed will stop her racing thoughts and relax her a bit to let her enjoy the party and hanging out with Catra and all her friends. Perfuma engages Catra in a conversation about her major and the circle begins to shrink. 

“Should we head back to the others?” Catra asks noticing it’s just the three of them now. Adora nods, pleasantly floating in her high. Perfuma frowns though.

“Hmm I was waiting for one more person who wanted some gummies but they haven’t shown.” Catra’s mouth drops.

“Wait, you grow and sell this?” Adora feels nerves alight in her stomach. 

“Yes, is that a problem?” Perfuma asks coolly. Catra smiles.

“Didn’t know you had it in you. The way Scorpia goes on about you, you seem the perfect flower child.” Perfuma laughs lightly. 

“ ‘Flower child’ being the operative term.” She replies with a wink. Adora frowns at the uncomfortable heaviness in her chest that she had hoped the weed would chase away. Before the three girls can turn to rejoin the majority of the party a voice calls out and a tall, built woman walks past the bushes. 

“Well if it isn’t little Adora.” Comes a lilting voice that makes Adora’s blood freeze in her veins. 

“Octavia.” Adora answers curtly her high evaporating with her panic. Octavia, a girl about ten years her senior stands in combat boots, jeans, and a white t-shirt. Her hair slicked back in braids. Just how Adora remembers her. 

“Oh! Are you here for your gummies?” Perfuma asks, “I can’t say I enjoy being kept waiting when I could be socializing with my friends.” Perfuma says with a brow raised. 

“Sorry about that. Got caught up. But I would have hurried over if I knew Little Miss Perfect was here.” Octavia reaches out and grabs Adora’s chin. She pulls away and takes a step back. Catra places a hand on her shoulder. 

“Don’t touch me.” Adora says, feeling her hands begin to tremble. 

“Actually I’ve been meaning to track you down.” The older girl says conversationally. 

“If you need anything you can talk to Weaver’s lawyer Octavia.” Adora says making eye contact. Octavia sneers. She takes a step forward.

“Listen here you little…” Catra takes a step forward and puts a hand on Octavia’s chest keeping her away from Adora. Adora’s eyes widen.

“I think it’s time you go.” Catra’s voice is hard and low. Octavia’s eyes flick to her. 

“I haven’t got what I came for.” Octavia replies. Perfuma shoves a baggie neatly tied with a twince bow at the woman. 

“I’ll take you leaving this party and the premises as adequate payment.” Perfuma says hands on hips next to Adora. Octavia squeezes the baggie. 

“Go on, aren’t you a little old to be skulking around college parties like a sexual predator lowlife.” catra bites out. 

“You little bitch! I can’t believe Weaver took in a little dyke like you.” Octavia hisses and backhands Catra who falls to the ground. Perfuma quickly kneels to help her up. 

Adora sees red. She raises one of her crutches and whacks it hard against the woman’s head. Otavia’s head whips back and then she turns to face Adora with a hand to her temple, it’s bleeding. Octavia yells wildly and swings a punch at Adora. Adora dodges, dropping her crutches and lifting a leg to kick Octavia in the solar plexus, but her foot is caught. 

“Nice try, Adora but I taught you that one.” And Octavia twists her foot with a jerk sending Adora to the ground with a yelp as pain radiates from her ankle up through her knee and taking alight in her hip. 

“Adora!” Adora gulps in oxygen to breathe through the pain. Suddenly Mermista, Glimmer, Bow, and Seahawk appear. Seahawk and Bow grab Octavia by her arms holding her back. Mermista positively seethes. 

“Get out of our house.” She’s surrounded by the other residents of the house, various theater majors Adora doesn’t know. The world begins to spin. 

“Adora?” Adora lets her head loll and sees Catra’s face complete with a split lip swim in her vision before it fades to black.


	8. All that's Left of Yesterday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra watches over Adora, the girls talk a bit. Emotional bonding is had and progress is made!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this chapter was a doozy what with NaNoWriMo starting, the US Election, Halloween -- anyway I didn't want to post until I had someing I wanted to be posted so it took a hot minute but here it is! Wrapping up the angst for the moment and letting the girls bond before the next hurdle comes.

“Adora?” Catra croaks out from where she’s crawled on hands and knees to her. Adora’s eyes can’t seem to focus on her and it occurs to Catra she’s about to pass out just as she watches those blue eyes roll into the back of Adora’s head. 

“Adora!” Glimmer calls out and kneels down next to Catra. 

“Shit, shit, shit did she hit her head?” Glimmer asks, her words still slurring a bit. Catra shakes her head. 

“No, but that bitch twisted her leg, I’m betting her hip is on fire.” Mermista says from where she’s standing protectively above them.

“Seahawk take Adora to my room, I think we are gonna have to call the cops on that woman, which means we need to shut this party down now.” Seahawk salutes Mermista who rubs her temples and heads over to start breaking up groups and apologize for the party’s abrupt ending. Ironically, it's the most congenial end to a party ended by a fight Catra has ever heard of. Seahawk dips down and lifts Adora into a bridal carry. Bow grabs her crutches. Glimmer stands and hesitates before reaching out a hand.

“Come on. She’ll want to know you’re okay when she wakes up and you can sit with her while we help Mermista out.” Catra nods and lets Glimmer help her to her feet. 

Mermista’s room is the master suite of the house. Catra’s eyes bug out of her head when they walk in. Bow chuckles when he sees her staring. 

“Mermista’s dad pays rent, she took the largest room to spite him. They don’t get along.” Catra nods. Yeah sure, payback in luxury. She can get behind that. 

Seahawk gently deposits Adora on Mermista’s ridiculously huge four poster bed. The blonde moans in pain even unconscious causing all in the room to wince. Adora’s brow furrows and Catra thinks she can’t get comfortable and it's frustrating that she can't do anything to help.

Catra goes and sits on the side of the bed. She grabs one of Adora’s hands and squeezes. Idiot. She thinks fondly. 

“Do you two know who that girl was?” Catra asks looking at Bow and Glimmer. The two share a look. 

“Octavia.” Perfuma answered after coming in from the restroom, she had a wet washcloth in her hands. Catra hadn’t noticed she followed them. 

“Here, to clean some of the dirt off.” Perfuma hands Catra the washcloth. Catra nods and delicately wipes the mud from her face and hands. 

“She’s a lot older than us. But she had been at Etheria High at one foster home up until her senior year. In order for her to graduate at the same school Ms. Weaver housed her for the last semester. She roomed with Adora.” Bow elaborates. Catra frowns, that girl slept in her bed. It sends a shiver down her spine. 

“Let’s go downstairs, we should help Mermista out, Glim you’ll need to down some pedialyte before the cops show.” Perfuma says setting a hand on Glimmer's shoulder. Glimmer nods. Bow turns back when the trio reach the door.

“I’ll see if Mermista has an ice pack for your eye.” Bow says.

“What about Adora’s hip?” Bow sighs.

“We’ll see when she wakes up, if there’s swelling we’ll ice it too.” He sounds resigned. He closes the door behind him. Catra turns as she hears a huffed laugh from the bed.

“Was wondering when you were going to stop faking.” Catra says with a roll of her eyes.

“Wasn’t faking.” Adora whispers from the bed, eyes still closed.

“You woke up when that Seahawk guy set you down.” Catra counters. Adora squints an eye open.

“Okay well before that I wasn’t faking.” She grumbles. Catra snickers, Adora starts to laugh too but hisses in pain instead. Catra snaps her mouth shut and gives Adora’s hand a squeeze.

“Hip?” She asks. Adora nods.

“And my knee, I think she hyperextended it.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Catra asks. Adora shakes her head. 

“My knee will need ice but I think for now I just have to rest my hip, if it gets bad I’ll talk to Fuma, but I’ve already had more weed than I was planning tonight.” Adora says and pats the space next to her. Catra kicks off her shoes and crawls up, leaning against Mermista’s ridiculously fluffy pillows. Adora sniffles next to her and Catra tries to subtly look at her, spying the tears gathering in her eyes. She didn’t know if it was caused by her pain, embarrassment, or Octavia herself. 

“So that Octavia is one hell of a bitch.” She blurts out immediately mentally slapping herself. Real sensitive there, Catra. Adora chuckles wetly, a tear slides down her face and she wipes it away with the heel of her palm. 

“Yeah, she is.” The tears keep coming and Adora wipes at them, a blush building on her face. Catra feels like she’s intruding on what should be private. She’s reminded of the panic attack she wasn’t meant to witness. 

“I’m sorry, I can go if you…” Catra says softly and starts to scoot to the end of the bed. She’s stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

“No, Please.” Adora hiccups and her grip tightens. “Please just stay.” Catra looks up into Adora’s face, her eyes dark and red from crying. Silently Catra scoots back into the pillows and takes Adora’s hand from her shoulder and holds it in her own. 

“Okay Adora, I’ll stay.” Adora nods and tries to take in a deep breath, stuttering on the exhale. Catra keeps a hold of her hand. Adora laughs again.

“You know it really sucked.” Adora says looking at her lap. Catra waits silently. 

“When you were adopted. When you left Weaver’s. It really really sucked. Did you know I didn’t talk for a year?” Adora leans back letting her head fall on the pillows, tear tracks stand out on her cheeks. She doesn't let go of Catra's hand though.

“With you gone I had no one to talk to, no reason to say anything, it wouldn’t change anything. Weaver told me if I didn’t start speaking at school I’d be punished. I didn’t care. She didn’t let me sleep in my bed for a week. The first time I spoke was the night Octavia moved in. She didn't even do anything, not really. She just laid on the bed, on your bed. Just sprawled on it and I lost it. I began screaming at her. I attacked her, scarred her above the eye with my nails. I called her a dumbface!” Adora gets taken over with giggles. Catra squeezes her hand, her free hand is tense in a fist, her nails biting into her palm. 

“Adora…” Catra starts but she shakes her head. 

“No it's….just not tonight okay? Can we leave it at that for tonight. I’m already going to have to rehash tonight for a police statement.” Adora rubs her eyes, Cara wonders if she is getting a headache. She rubs her thumb over the back of Adora’s palm. 

“Whatever you need. But I’m here Adora, I’m staying.” Adora meets her eyes, dry but the threat of tears not completely gone. She lowers her eyes and whispers so low Catra almost thinks she imagines it.

“I wish I could believe you.” 

Before Catra can think of a reply the girls are interrupted by a knock. The police have arrived and need a statement from Catra and Adora. They give their stories and the police wish them a better rest of their night. Mermista comes back up when everything is taken care of down stairs with Glimmer and Bow. They help Adora to Bow’s car and they all pile in to go home. Adora wishes her good night as does Glimmer with a sleepy wave. Bow catches her by surprise in a hug goodbye. She pats him on his back. 

Catra spends the rest of the weekend at her moms’ new house helping them unpack and organize. She doesn’t tell them about the party, she wants to digest it herself first. And she knows what her moms will say. She doesn't want to hear it right now. She texts Adora about meeting up to study Sunday evening. Adora confirms. 

Catra walks up to the sliding glass door of Adora’s dorm. She knocks lightly when she sees Glimmer happily dancing as she stirs something on the kitchen stove. Glimmer blushes when she sees her dance moves have been seen. With a dark blush she opens the sliding glass door. 

“Nice moves there Sparkles.” Catra says with a grin. Glimmer rolls her eyes but moves to let Catra inside. 

“Adora Catra’s here!” Glimmer calls out before sticking her tongue out at Catra who cackles at the reaction. 

“Catra! Come on back!” Adora’s voice floats from her room and Catra with a grin on her face passes the kitchen and heads to Adora’s room. Adora is set up on her bed, hair around her shoulders. She has her laptop open in front of her. She looks up and smiles as Catra comes in. 

“Hey come set up anywhere, how was the rest of your weekend?” Adora asks, as if nothing had happened Friday night and Catra wonders if maybe that’s how Adora handles things, sweeps them under a metaphorical rug. She hears the echo of an eleven year old Adora in her mind,  _ that’s a problem for future Catra and Adora _ . Future Catra had met with and dealt with her issues. Catra remembers Scorpia saying Adora had only been in therapy for the better part of six months and wonders if future Adora knows what she’s in for. 

Catra takes up residence at the foot of Adora’s bed, setting up a pillow to lean against and bringing out her own laptop to sit across from Adora’s. Adora smiles at her. 

“It was okay. I went to my moms’ new house and helped them unpack the last of their things.”

“That’s nice. Netossa and Spinerella right?” Adora asked her eyes moving from her screen back up to meet Catra’s. Catra nods. 

“Right. What about you?” Catra asks, opening excel on her laptop. Adora blows a raspberry into the air. 

“Spent most of yesterday sleeping and icing my knee. At one point Glimmer came in with a bag of greasy burgers and insisted on hangover food even though none of us got real wasted Friday. I think she just wanted the excuse to indulge.” Adora says with a smirk. Catra laughs. The two fall into their work for a while and only stop once Adora’s stomach growls so loudly it makes Catra jump. 

“Sorry,” Adora says blushing, “would you like something for dinner. I know Glimmer attacked a couple boxes of Annie’s Mac and Cheese. We can heat up a couple bowls and come back.” Catra shrugs, saving her progress.

“Sure, after you Princess.” The old nickname bubbles to the surface without Catra realizing. Adora pauses and Catra freezes. When Adora gives a small smile she breathes out a sigh of relief. Adora grabs one of her crutches and the two girls meander into the kitchen. Adora leans against a stool in the kitchen as the meals turn in the microwave. Bow says hi to Catra when they pass by his room with their macaroni in hand. 

“Catra can I ask you something?” Adora says as they scoop cheesy pasta into their mouths. Catra hums an affirmative her interest piqued. Adora looks nervous all of a sudden, her shoulders hunch and she fiddles with her spoon. 

“What’s it like?” She finally asks. Catra screws up her brow in confusion. 

“What’s what like?” She asks. Adora pushes a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Having moms...having parents?” She says quietly. Catra’s eyes widen. She hadn’t been expecting that, after Friday night she had sort of figured Adora’s hard and fast rule of not talking about bad memories would be iron clad for a while yet. Catra takes a deep breath before looking up at Adora.

“It was really weird at first. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for something I did wrong to be the last straw, but it never was.” Catra met Adora’s eyes. Adora was watching her openly, listening, taking in every word. Her curiosity shone. 

“It was Spinnerella’s idea to get me out of Etheria, to change my space completely. It was Netossa’s to get me a therapist. I didn’t speak in my sessions with them for two whole months, just sat and glared.” Catra rolls her eyes at her past self and Adora laughs. 

“I had nightmares, a lot. And for the first year I slept with my door open and my moms left their’s open too and when I’d wake up one of them would be there. They made me feel safe. Having my moms, it's being safe and being loved without condition and all the other mushy stuff we daydreamed about. But it's better because it isn’t a fairy tale. And no one expects you to be…” Catra trails off. 

“Perfect.” Adora finishes. Catra nods.

“Yeah. It wasn’t fast or easy but it’s been worth it, letting them in, letting them mother me.” Catra says with a blush on her face. Adora stares off to the side for a moment before reaching forward and squeezing Catra’s hand. 

“I’m glad Catra.”

“What?” She asks.

“I’m glad...I’m so happy you got a family, a life away from  _ her _ . I’m sorry if I haven’t been good at showing that.”

“Adora, I never thought I’d see you again. And I know you don’t want to talk about the day I left and I’m not asking you too, but I’m sorry I didn’t fight for you to come with me.” Catra felt herself get choked up and she bit down a small sob. She was not going to cry on Adora’s bed right now, she was not. Adora squeezes her hand again. 

“Hey since the accident things haven’t been great. I feel like I’ve been set loose in a world I don’t understand. But then you show up and yeah you’ve changed but you’re still Catra. And when I needed you to stay with me Friday you did. So all I can ask is for us now, just keep staying with me.” Catra hiccups on a deep breath.

“Yeah I think I can do that.” She returns the squeeze of their hands. The two settle back into homework occasionally throwing anecdotes about this professor or giggling as they get distracted on tik tok. Eventually, jaw cracking on a yawn Catra gets up to leave. 

“Hey Catra um will I see you at the cafe tomorrow?” Catra laughs at Adora's shy question. Catra smiles.

“Yeah ‘Dora. I’ll text you in the morning, okay?” Adora smiles and nods.

“Okay.”


	9. Chapter Nine: My, My, Just How Much I’ve Missed You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleepy fluff
> 
> Adora helps Scorpia study and just can't seem to stay awake  
> Catra takes care of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .....Hi long time no see? heh heh Sorry for the long absence but I'm back and want to keep posting so here have some sleepy fluff building into felings! Promise long waits like this will not be the norm.

Catra leans against the counter next to the bookstore’s ancient cash register and watches as Adora meanders through the aisles. The store closes in fifteen minutes and after she’s coming over to Catra and Scorpia’s apartment to help tutor Scorpia, something about a special tutoring program for athletes and their crazy schedules. Adora had been super excited last week when she learned she got the job, she’d texted Catra the longest string of happy emojis she’d ever seen.  
“Hey Wildcat it’s nine go ahead and cash out the register!” Scorpia calls out from the back of the store shaking Catra from her daydreaming. Catra looks up at the clock on the register and notes that it is in fact closing time. Scorpia comes around a book shelf and walks to the front door flipping the sign from Open to Closed.  
“Anything I can do to help?” Adora’s voice pipes up as she makes her way to the checkout counter.  
“Nah I just gotta put this cash drawer in the safe in the back and we can head out. I did the evening inventory and you already helped by sweeping earlier.” Scorpia says. Adora shrugs and a light blush dusts her face.  
“You got your bag out of the break room princess?” Catra asks. Adora nods and gestures to the book bag hanging off her shoulder.  
“Alright, you two go on out I’ll put this in the back and hit the lights.” Scorpia says taking the register drawer from Catra and heading to the back. Catra grabs her bag off the hook behind the counter and opens the door gesturing grandly for Adora who giggles.  
“So you like working here so far?” Adora asks as they wait on the sidewalk. Catra nods.  
“Yeah, bookstores are usually quiet and have a lot less Karens than some places like Starbucks.” She grumbles and Adora laughs.  
“I can’t see you lasting long at a Starbucks.” She says quirking an eyebrow.  
“Hey I’ll have you know I worked at a coffee shop in Horde City through high school.” Catra says flicking Adora’s forehead. The gesture is an old one, something she did when they were kids. She hadn’t even thought twice. But Adora’s face freezes for half a second and then softens. Catra feels heat rise in her cheeks and she looks away. Sometimes interacting with her old friend was like walking through a minefield, she never knew what word or gesture would bring up fond memories or painful ones. But every time Adora gives her that soft smile she feels her stomach swoop, so she keeps navigating the field.  
Scorpia comes out of the store then and pulls out her keys to lock up.  
“Ready to go?” She asks and Catra nods turning back to Adora who seems lost in thought, her gaze far away. She’s started to meander away from the safety of the sidewalk.  
“Hey Adora.” Catra says, and a truck turns the corner quickly.  
“Adora!” She says grabbing her shoulder and pulling her away from the curb. Adora blinks and seems to come back to the present slowly.  
“Pay attention to where you’re wandering idiot!” Catra bites, wincing when it comes out a bit harsher than she meant it too. Adora shakes herself. She places a hand on top of Catra’s on her shoulder.  
“Sorry, got lost in my head there for a second. Thanks Catra.” Catra pulls her hand away and splutters.  
“Just...Just don’t worry about it, just pay attention to your surroundings yeah? Come on, the car is down the street.” Catra marches on ahead. She hears Scorpia and Adora following. As they reach the car, Catra unlocks it and pops the trunk.  
“I think your crutches should fit back here.” She says as Adora comes up next to her.  
“Yeah should be no problem.” Adora says and tucks them inside. Catra watches her then walk with a slight limp over to the back seat door. It occurs to her it's the first time she’s seen Adora walk without the crutches. A new wave of hate for Weaver rushes into her chest, but she pushes it down as she sets her bag on top of Adora’s crutches and walks to the driver’s side. The woman is dead, and she and Adora hadn’t talked about her in any depth. She needed to let it go. Scorpia slides into the passenger seat.  
“Sorry I take up so much room Adora.” She apologizes for adjusting the seat for her long legs.  
“It’s fine, I’m good behind Catra, she’s a shorty.” Adora teases. Catra glares at her through the rearview mirror and Adora laughs. As Catra pulls out into the main street Scorpia jumps into a story about her rugby practice from the other day. Catra remembers her wandering into the apartment covered in mud and running away from a muddy hug. Just as Scorpia gets to that part of the story Catra glances up to her rearview mirror to see Adora’s reaction. She has to do a double take when it looks like she’s completely asleep. Catra nudges Scorpia effectively interrupting her just as she gets to the part of the story where Catra aimed the retractable sink faucet at a muddy Scorpia and sprays her down.  
“Scorp...hey is...is Adora asleep?” She says keeping her voice low. Scorpia blinks and then turns in her seat.  
“Yup, totally knocked out back there. Geez I feel bad I asked her to help me study now.” Scorpia says scratching the back of her head with her prosthetic. For work she wears a less realistic and more prehensile attachment.  
“It’s her job Scorpia. Just be glad she conked out with us and not some jock jerk.”  
“Catra you know I’m a jock right, and so was Adora well before.” Catra rolls her eyes.  
“Yeah well you’re not a jerk Scorp, and no don’t squeal! I’ll wake her when we get home.” Catra puts up with the immense heart eyes being thrown her way by her roommate the rest of the drive to the apartment. Once parked Scorpia gets out of the car and Catra turns in her seat and gently jostles Adora’s leg.  
“Hey Adora, time to join the land of the living.” She says.  
Adora groans and scrunches her face before slowly blinking awake. She looks momentarily confused.  
“Catra?” Catra quirks a brow.  
“You with us Princess?” Catra asks.  
“Shit, yeah I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I fell asleep in the car.” Catra and Adora both open their doors. Catra steps out watching Scorpia pull Adora’s crutches from the trunk.  
“It’s alright. I’ll make us all coffee, it’s been a long week and we still have one more day.” Catra says pulling on her messenger bag And locking the car as everyone closes their doors.  
“Ooh some caffeine will definitely be appreciated and Wildcat makes the best cup of coffee.” Scorpia faux swoons and Catra punches her shoulder.  
“Oh?” Adora teases as she goes up the icy stairs carefully, the weather has really begun to change fast and she had to be careful with her crutches. They didn’t prevent her from being a total klutz though, Catra was sure. Catra patiently walks up the steps behind her old friend. And if she has one hand out prepared to catch the blonde if she slips, well that’s no one’s business but her own.  
“One summer I worked at a coffee shop in Horde City. I’m certain the only reason I wasn’t fired was in fact that I make the best coffee on the planet.”  
Ahead of her Adora snorts.  
“Always so humble Catra.” She teases as they reach the landing outside their apartment door. Scorpia fishes out her keys. Catra hums.  
“Isn’t bragging if it's the truth.” Adora laughs and Catra has to bite down a grin at the sound. She waves Adora towards the living room.  
“Go get set up with Scorpia, I’ll be out with the best coffee you’re blonde ass has ever tasted.” Adora rolls her eyes back at her but complies and goes to join Scorpia where she is setting up her laptop on the coffee table. As Catra assembles her coffee grinder and other accoutrements she watches the blondes from the periphery of her eyes.  
Scorpia has opened her laptop and is turning on her voice to text program and plugging in her mic. Adora pulls out a simple notebook as she listens to Scorpia who has started rambling explaining her assignment as the computer and program boot up. When the computer gives out a small tune Scorpia stops and speaks into the mic instructing the internet tab to open and navigating to her class’s online course page and opening the Google Doc her paper lives on.  
“It’s gonna be loud for a sec!” Catra calls on before turning on the coffee grinder. Once the coffee beans are ground she gets out her french press and goes to the fridge to grab the milk for Scorpia and Adora, and the Oat milk for herself. As the coffee steeps in the french press she pulls out a small instrument and begins to froth the two milks in a couple cups to pour into the three coffee mugs she pulls from the clean dishwasher. She lets her gaze flick back over to Adora and Scorpia. Adora is pointing to certain points on the screen. A small spark of warmth settles in Catra’s chest at seeing her oldest friend and her roommate getting along. As though puzzle pieces are falling together. She just isn’t sure what she wants the picture to be.  
Once the coffee is done Catra walks over to the two jocks balancing three mugs.  
“Ah Catra, you should have said something I would have helped you carry those.” Scorpia says as Catra carefully sets the two cups of pure caffeinated magic in front of Adora and Scorpia.  
“It’s fine you two are working” Catra waves her off and then watches waiting for Adora to taste her drink. Adora smirks as she catches her watching and takes a theatrically slow sip. Her eyes widen as she tastes it and a smug grin makes itself at home on Catra’s face as Adora’s tongue sweeps out to lick the remnants of foam from her upper lip. Catra diverts her gaze.  
“It’s delicious Catra! Thank you!”  
“Thanks Wildcat!” Scorpia echoes.  
“Eh it’s a gift. Get to work you two.” She waves at them in a shooing motion. Adora laughs, color high in her cheeks and turns to give her attention back to Scorpia. The coffee of course has given her a bit of pep but it hasn’t fixed the deep bruises under Adora’s eyes. Catra bites her lip, is she still having those nightmares? She wonders remembering the screams floating through her phone’s speakers in the early morning. Adora is wearing a baggy hoodie and sweats, the picture of comfort. Her hair is pulled back into the ponytail she remembers from her childhood. Catra catches herself staring at a rogue hair tickling the blonde’s ear and abruptly turns away. She sees her latest book in the Mermysteries series sitting on the side table and scoops it up to occupy her brain instead of her friend. It must work pretty well too because it takes Scorpia whisper shouting her name a couple times to get her attention away from her book some time later.  
“Pssst! Wildcat!” Catra glass at Scorpia who is waving her prosthetics frantically gesturing next to her on the couch. Catra lets her gaze slide over to see a completely conked out Adora. She’s curled in a ball on the couch, one of Scorpia’s decorative pillows clutched to her chest and supporting her head as she breathes deeply. Catra closes her book and quietly unfolds herself from the armchair she was occupying. She addresses Scorpia in another whisper.  
“How long has she been out?” She asks. Scorpia shrugs.  
“I was working on edits she gave me for about a half hour and when I looked over she was out.” Catra nods and pulls out her phone to check the time. Only about 12am. She’d be up for a couple hours yet, but she knew Scorpia had to get up early.  
“Let her sleep. She looks like she needs it. If she wakes in an hour or two I’ll drive her to campus if she wants.”  
“Are you sure Wildcat?” Scorpia says gently closing her laptop. Catra nods.  
“If she’s too tired to go back, you cool if she stays?” Catra asks. Scorpia nods enthusiastically.  
“Of course! I’ll get some pillows from my room…” Catra shakes her head.  
“I’ll just put her in my bed at that point. We shared all the time as kids, it’s not a big thing.” She makes sure to level a look at Scorpia. Scorpia puts her hands up in supplication.  
“Of course not Wildcat.” She gets up and starts getting ready for bed. Catra sighs, she has her own homework she hadn’t started and now seemed like the best time if it was going to get done at all. She goes into her room and unplugs her laptop. She grabs the throw blanket from the foot of her bed and walks back out to the living room. Carefully she tucks the blanket around Adora and then lowers herself into the spot on the couch Scorpia had vacated.  
Catra works at her computer until her eyes start to burn from the strain. Silently she stretches arching her back after sitting slumped on the couch. She closes her laptop after glancing at the time, again nearly 2 in the morning. She sets the laptop down and looks over at Adora. The blonde continues to sleep next to her. She uncurled a bit after Catra covered her with the blanket. Her breaths are even and her hair has almost completely fell out of her ponytail. Occasionally her leg twitches under the blanket. Catra thinks her hips must be starting to hurt from sitting in one position on the couch as she slept. She reaches out a hand and gently squeezes her shoulder.  
“Hey Adora, time to wake up.” Catra fights a small smile as the blonde screws up her expression fighting her body waking up. Catra gives her a small shake.  
“C’mon Princess.” She teases.  
Adora blinks her eyes open. It takes her a moment to focus on Catra’s face.  
“Hey you fell asleep on our couch. You’re at my apartment remember?” Catra asks softly when Adora tenses. As she speaks Adora relaxes again before sitting up abruptly.  
“Oh my god, Scorpia!” She says and Catra shushes her.  
“Sh! She went to sleep a couple hours ago. She finished up the edits you gave her no worries. Do you want me to drive you back to campus? Or...um.. You could stay here.” Catra averts her eyes unable to look into Adora’s blue eyes while giving her suggestion.  
“What time is it?” Adora asks instead.  
“Around two in the morning.” Adora’s eyes about bug out of her head.  
“Stars thats late. Yeah I guess I should just stay. I don’t want to make you drive and I’m sure Bow’s locked the doors for the night anyway…”  
“Great so its decided! Come on.” Catra says quickly standing. She hears Adora get up behind her. She looks over her shoulder to see Adora is following, limping without her crutches, rubbing at one eye and wearing the throw blanket like a cape. A memory flashes of a younger Adora, without her front tooth, following Catra half asleep, barely old enough to be up so late.  
“Come where?” Adora asks around a yawn.  
“To go to bed, Dummy.” Catra replies as she opens the door to her room.  
“Huh?” Adora says eloquently from the doorway as Catra begins to grab her own pajamas from her dresser.  
“Well you shouldn’t sleep on the couch with your hip right? So I’m graciously sharing my bed with you, ya know like when we were little.” Catra fights off a blush and can’t turn to see Adora’s reaction until she hears Adora’s weight settle on the bed. Catra turns. Adora is smiling softly looking at Catra with her eyes shining. Catra clears her throat and shuts her dresser drawer.  
“I’m just gonna go change. I don’t think I have anything that’ll fit you…”  
“I’m fine to sleep in this.” Adora says. Catra gulps, nods.  
“Right, go ahead and get comfortable.” She says and dashes to the hall bathroom. Once inside she pulls her shirt over her head and tosses it in her hamper in the corner. To work she always wore a plain T and jeans. She changes quickly trying to keep her mind of her sudden shyness in front of Adora. They had changed in front of each other before and friends changed in front of each other all the time, she admonishes in her head as she feels heat building in her cheeks. She pulls on a pair of sleep shorts and a long sleeve shirt and walks back to the bedroom. Adora is lying facing the wall. Catra turns off the soft glow of her desk light and slips in beside her. Her heartbeat thunders in her ears.  
“Adora?” She whispers, but the blonde doesn’t answer, she’s already out again. Catra chuckles to herself and settles in letting herself be lulled by her best friends breaths. It’s a lullaby she didn’t think she’d ever hear again.


	10. Chapter 10: Therapy Part 1 - Adora

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter follows Adora as she goes to one of her therapy sessions. Introducing Mara, Razz, and Swiftwind! Adora is only at the beginning of her healing journey y'all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Depictions of depression here based on my own experiences. Everyone handles their mental health differently and I feel as though Adora and my own coping are very similar. Next chapter will get into Catra and her therapist. Do you have a guess who it might be?

The Nightmares have come back with a vengeance. Not that they ever really went away, they just seem sharper now, more in focus. And it takes her longer to wrestle her mind from them. Combine that with the semester being now fully underway as they leave September behind them and head into the first week of October, and Adora is exhausted. She can hear her therapist’s mother, Razz, tsking at her at her elbow as Adora mindlessly kneads pie dough. Her phone sits in her messenger bag on silent while she’s at the Center. Adora and Razz sit in the kitchen of the farmhouse at the Center. A bowl is in front of her and keeps her hands busy while she and Razz talk. Razz isn’t a professional by any means but Adora feels at peace talking her feelings out here with her just as much as she does when she has her sessions with her actual therapist, Raz’s daughter, Mara. 

“Don’t kid yourself dearie. You know exactly why your nightmares are back and so strong.” Razz says when Adora mentions her complaint. Adora sighs.

“Catra’s back. And my brain is processing in the stupidest way possible.” Adora grumbles at the old woman. Razz lets her stew mindlessly stirring berries and sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. 

“But I’m happy Catra is back. I’m happy to have her in my life again. So why can’t I sleep?” 

“Pain is pain Adora dear. Even if we are happy we can be in pain.” Adora had grunted and returned to her kneading. Her mind flies back a few nights to when she had fallen asleep on Catra’s couch. She’d been too tired to worry about cuddling up to her childhood friend, falling back to unconsciousness before Catra could change into pajamas. The nightmare had gripped her despite the safety of lying besides Catra. 

~~~

Ms. Weaver’s car was old. The upholstery was cracked from the sun. It was dark out. Rain pelted the car as they drove through the twisting hills of their town. She wanted more than anything for Spring Break to be over. It’s her sophomore year of high school. She’s on Varsity soccer and spends as much time at her friends’ house as Weaver will allow. She had had plans to be there this whole week. She had scored at every game this season and been named MVP. She had straight A’s. Ms. Weaver had asked her what she wanted as a reward. 

She wanted to be at Glimmer’s house with her friends watching bad sitcoms from the 90s. She wanted her sleeping bag Glimmr got for her birthday,the fairy lights that set off a pink glow that Glimmer strung across the walls. She wanted to eat carbs and chocolate. She wanted to stay there the whole break not once having to go home. Whenshe had mentioned she was invited to stay the week at Glimmer’s house Weaver had set her mouth in a thin line. 

Weaver insisted she stay home for break. Adora refused to look at her caretaker as she prattled on and on about the training she would put Adora through this week as they drove from the high school parking lot back to the large house and Adora's empty room. She hadn’t had to share it since Octavia left. Rain pelted the windshield as it always did this time of year. Dark rumbling clouds made even the afternoon light seem like late evening. Wind whipped at the trees along the roads.

Adora could see it now, she’d be in this weather in nothing but shorts and a sports bra. Her fingers would go numb. She was sure to be sick the first week back at school and every teacher would assume she’d partied too hard over break. But she couldn’t miss school to rest. Adora’s stomach rumbled and she wondered off handedly how many meals her guardian would let her have this week. Her record low was two. The car ride seemed to go on forever. Adora wondered how long this twisting road was, it felt longer than normal. Ms. Weaver puts a hand on Adora’s shoulder, it’s freezing as though it's made of ice. Weaver tsks causing Adora’s shoulders to rise and her back to straighten automatically. 

“You do want to be perfect for me don’t you Adora?” Adora hadn’t been listening, but the question wasn’t a new one. Adora doesn’t answer. Her tongue feels glued to her mouth. She starts to panic. She needs to answer. If she doesn’t answer Weaver will get angry. 

“Are you listening to me Adora?” Weaver’s voice takes on an irritated edge. Adora nods frantically but still can’t seem to unglue her mouth. She scratches at her lips, tries to pry her jaw open. 

“You’ve always been so easily distracted. You’ve never known what’s good for you.” Adora tries to reply but her voice gets snuffed in her throat, unable to even move her tongue to form a word. 

“At first I thought it was that horrible little girl I had to foster, Catra.” Adora shakes her head, her fingers bloodied as she rips at her lips with her nails. 

“I let her go to the first people who asked for her, you know. She could be anywhere. Sold for money or sex. Used trash on the side of the road. Adora’s throat was closing now. She grasped at Weaver’s hand on her shoulder, silently begging for help. 

“It would be all your fault Adora. If only you were better, I could have had the time to give that poor girl. To help her flourish too, but you take all my time and attention.” Weaver’s hand caresses her cheek, Adora’s vision is hazy. She can’t take in a breath, she can’t scream. She’s absolutely stuck here in the car with Weaver. 

“And in the end you even took my life….Adora…” Weaver says. Adora’s ears ring. 

“....Adora....” Her vision clouds, Weaver’s eyes stare at her from the driver’s seat blank and empty. 

“Adora!” 

Adora gasps and sits straight up. Hands are holding her down, pushing her back into the bed. She thrashes. Her knee connects with something and the hands disappear. Her fingers find her neck and she scratches. A gasping wheeze escapes her lips that finally part. 

“C...can’t...breathe.” Her eyes flit from wall to wall. Where is she? Where’s Weaver?

“Adora! It was a nightmare. You’re having a panic attack.” Soft hands grab her own and hold them tight preventing her from returning to her neck. A face swims into view, one golden eye, one ocean blue, a mussed pixie cut, starlike freckles. 

“Catra?” Adora asks, coming out of her nightmare and subsequent spiral. Her breathing still stilted and uneven. Concern crinkles Catra’s brow. She squeezes Adora’s hands once briefly. 

“Yeah it's me. You fell asleep tutoring Scorpia. You’re at my apartment...in my bed.” A faint flush rises to Catra’s cheeks. Adora blinks, the evening coming back to her. She just had a nightmare and freaked out in Catra’s bed. 

“Hey! Hey it's okay. Keep breathing for me.” Catra takes one of her hands from where they clutch her own and puts it against her chest. She takes an exaggerated deep breath in.

“Just follow me okay. I’ve got you.” Adora didn’t know if she nodded but she did as she was told. They stay like that for a while. Adora’s breathing eventually calming as she stares into catra’s face. 

~~~

“Razz! Adora! You two in here!” Mara's shout from the back door pulls Adora from her memory. 

“Where else would we be Mara dearie?” Razz asks, smiling when Mara plants a soft kiss on her mother’s head. Mara shares a look with Adora brow raised. Adora smiles, as everyone at Razzle Dazzle Equestrian Therapy Center knows Razz never stays still for long. Mara leaves Razz and hip bumps Adora. While Razz is her unofficial counselor, Mara is her actual therapist. Both physical and psychological. The woman is a force of nature, Glimmer says that’s the only thing that could handle Adora anyway, so it's no surprise Adora gets on well with her at the Center. 

“Swiftie just got done with a kids group, want to help me brush him down?” It was Mara code for, I let you hide in here with Razz now it's time for the real work to begin. Adora wipes her hands with a washcloth hanging off the counter. 

“Sure Mara. Razz, will you be okay if I go help Mara?” Razz is checking the oven and waves a hand over head. Adora chuckles and follows Mara back out the back door and over to the barn. The horse barn is across a large lawn shaded by an old oak behind Mara’s family home. Though the ground is even here Adora still takes it easy as she places her crutches and walks beside Mara. Mara starts with the easy questions as they make their way. 

“How’s your hip and knee? It’s been a few weeks since you wrenched them at the Salineas girl’s house.” She says, braid swinging behind her, thumbs hooked through her jean’s belt loops. 

“Knee feels pretty much back to normal. Only had two bad hip days, missed one class since I last was here.” Mara nods. 

“Good. Swiftie missed you last time.” Mara replies. Swiftie, short for Swiftwind, is Adora’s favorite horse at the center. He works primarily with kids, but has a gentle gait and on particularly good days Adora can ride him too. 

“I missed him too.” Adora says frowning, remembering spending her last visit on the couch in Razz’s living room, on and off icing her hip. It had been the day after she slept at Catra’s. Sharing the bed and waking from a nightmare had left her in considerable pain. Not to mention the whole mental strain of the ordeal. Mara had taken one look at her face and her limp and benched her from all activities at the Center both Physical and Mental. Adora had protested but when Mara asked her if she really wanted to talk that day or if letting herself process whatever it was would be better for her while they treated her physical pain, she’d relented. 

They entered the barn. It was made of a light wood painted green on the outside. Inside was a tack room and 8 horse stalls. At the back was a drain and shower head for bathing the horses or cleaning off any muck on equipment or people. A loud winny met Adora’s ears as Mara held the swinging barn door open for her. A grin breaks out across her face as she hobbles as fast as she can to where Swiftwind munches on some hay in his stall. 

“Hey buddy, how was your day?” Adora says nuzzling the horse’s nose. He quickly nips at her t-shirt. She laughs. It’s almost like she can hear him in her head. Apples first then rubs. Adora happily obliges shifting her weight onto her good hip. 

“Ah Ah.” Mara says nudging Adora’s foot with her boot. “Keep the weight even, you don’t want to favor that hip too much, more trouble in the long run. If you need to sit, then sit.” She instructs. Adora smiles guiltily and shifts her weight back to even footing. 

“I’m alright for now.” She says and Mara nods, handing her a brush and taking a seat herself on the hay in the stall. Adora likes that about her, she isn’t caught up in trying to look like a professional, she’s just Mara. And all she asks of Adora in return is the same raw honesty. Adora goes about brushing out Swiftwind. 

“What were you and Razz chatting about?” Mara asks. 

“My nightmares.” Mara hums. 

“You had one in front of Catra that night two weeks ago.” Mara leads. Adora nods. 

“How did she handle it?” She asks and Adora flashes to come out of her panic. Catra helped her breathe again. She’d fetched her water and pet her hair as she lay in her arms until she fell back asleep. Adora hadn’t been able to utter a word and Catra didn’t ask her to. 

“Perfectly. She’s grown so much. She knew exactly how to make me calm down.” Adora says surprised at the bitterness in her voice when she does. Mara lets her sit with this for a moment. 

“Catra was adopted, and from what you’ve told me her mothers love her very much. I’m sure they gave her all the help to heal from your shared childhood that they could.” Adora nods her throat feeling tight, her eyes wet. Mara stands and lays a hand on Adora’s shoulder. 

“It’s okay you know, to be jealous. To wish you had that. But you have to take that wish, throw it out to the stars and let it go. Then move on. You have me and Razz now. You have Glimmer and her mom. And you have Catra again. Take those facts and hold on tight to them.” 

“I never thought I’d get her back.” Adora whispers. Tears have begun streaming down her face. 

But you have.” Mara says. “And she isn’t going anywhere Adora. Weaver can’t snatch her away from you. Or keep you locked away from her. You’re free.” Adora stops stops brushing Swiftwind 

“I don’t feel free. I feel trapped at the bottom of a well and I can’t climb up.” 

“You’re not alone Adora. We’ll come get you.” Mara says and Adora turns and buries herself in Mara’s shoulder.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy my twist on some beloved tropes for Catradora. I love love love writing hurt/comfort for Adora. I hope to not change the character's cores too much. Adora is still Adora and Catra is still Catra just exploring how aspects of their mentalities would be twisted by this narrative flip flop. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!


End file.
